Omicron Coronavirus India Live News, Coronavirus Vaccination Statistics and Registration Latest Updates, Covid-19 Cases and Deaths in India Recent Updates, Covid Restrictions Feb 20 Highlights: As India administered more than 175 crore Covid-19 vaccines and fully vaccinating 80 per cent of the India adults to attain yet another milestone in its universal Covid-19 immunisation programme, Covaxin by Bharat Biotech announced that it will be evaluated as Covid-19 vaccine candidate in US. FDA has lifted its clinical hold on the company’s investigational new drug application to evaluate Covid-19 vaccine candidate BBV152 known as Covaxin outside the United States, a statement from Ocugen Inc that is co-developing Covaxin for USA and Canada said.
The threats of the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant looms large as experts say it may possess certain features that not only make it more transmissible, but also more capable of causing severe disease.
Maria Van Kerkhova, COVID-19 Technical Lead at WHO, however, has noted that the BA.2 sub-variant is more transmissible than BA.1, there is no difference in severity.
This comes at a time when several countries are lifting restrictions as the recent wave of infections driven by Omicron appears to be waning.
Over 75,000 COVID-related fatalities and over 16 million new Covid-19 cases were reported in a single week globally, WHO said. The number of deaths rose by 38% in the Middle East and by about one-third in the Western Pacific. The UN health agency has pointed out include – getting vaccinated, keeping a safe distance and avoiding crowds, wearing well-fitted masks, keeping indoor spaces ventilated, cleaning hands often, and covering your face while coughing or sneezing.
Financial Express brings you the latest and verified Covid updates from India and around the globe. Check out here:
Chhattisgarh on Sunday reported 205 new coronavirus positive cases, taking its tally to 11,49,402, while the death toll remained unchanged at 14,021 as no fresh fatality was reported for the last two days in the state, an official said. The state's positivity rate is 1.42 per cent at present, he said. The count of recoveries reached 11,31,977 after 17 people were discharged from hospitals and 323 others completed their home isolation during the day. The number of active cases in the state stood at 3,404, he said. (PTI)
Assam reports 13 fresh COVID19 cases, 309 recoveries and 2 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Active cases 515 (ANI)
West Bengal recorded 13 COVID-19 deaths and 278 more cases on Sunday, according to Health Department data. The toll rose to 21,132 with the latest deaths. Of the 13 more deaths, Kolkata recorded seven, while two persons died in South 24 Parganas district, it said. North 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Uttar Dinajpur and Darjeeling recorded one death each, it said. The positivity rate rose to 0.90 per cent from 0.79 per cent the previous day, while the number of daily tests was lower -- 30,735 on Sunday as against 35,591 on Saturday. (PTI)
Coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu on Sunday plunged below the 1,000-mark for the first time during the third wave. There were 949 cases and three fatalities. There were no deaths in Chennai, the State capital. On Saturday, there were 1,051 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths. According to a bulletin from the Health Department, the State recorded a total of 34,44,929 cases and the deaths 37,980 till date. Recoveries continued to rise and 3,172 patients got discharged today. The cumulative recoveries increased to 33,91,011 today from 33,87,839 on Saturday. The total active cases, including isolation, as of today declined to 15,938 from 18,164 a day ago, said the bulletin. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh reached 10,34,440 on Sunday after the detection of 950 new cases, while the deaths of two patients took the toll to 10,715, a health department official said. The positivity rate came down to 1.3 per cent from 1.4 per cent on Saturday, he added. The recovery count stood at 10,16,198 after 1,785 people were discharged during the day, leaving MP with 7,527 active cases, he said. Bhopal and Indore, the two worst coronavirus-hit cities of Madhya Pradesh, registered 214 and 76 cases, respectively, during the past 24 hours, he said. (PTI)
COVID-19 cases in Karnataka declined from 1,137 cases on Saturday to 1,001 cases on Sunday while 18 deaths took place today. These took the total infected and fatalities till date to 39,36,586 and 39,795, said the State Health Department. A bulletin said 1,780 people were discharged. The total recoveries were 38,84,120 so far. Active cases stood at 12,634. Bengaluru urban district reported 485 infections and 12 deaths. Other districts too had fresh cases: 93 in Tumakuru, 51 in Belagavi, 48 in Mysuru, 46 in Ballari and 42 in Kodagu. There were deaths in six districts, including the two in Dharwad. There were zero fatalities in 25 districts. (PTI)
Mizoram reported 1,324 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, 173 more than the previous day, pushing the tally to 2,05,800, a health department official said. The state's coronavirus death toll rose to 643 as one more patient succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said. The northeastern state had reported 1,151 coronavirus cases and one death on Saturday. The fresh 1,324 cases detected from 5,193 samples put the single-day positivity rate at 25.49 per cent, he said. Mizoram now has 9,400 active COVID-19 cases. A total of 1,95,757 patients have recovered from the infection so far, including 668 in the last 24 hours, he said. (PTI)
Gujarat on Sunday reported 377 COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 12,20,562, while nine deaths increased the toll to 10,896, a health department official said. So far, 12,04,656 people have been discharged post recovery, including 1,148 during the day, leaving the state with an active tally of 5,010, with 41 patients being on ventilator support, he said. "Ahmedabad led with 136 new cases, followed by Vadodara with 72 cases, Surat 26, Gandhinagar 18 and Rajkot six cases, among others. The deaths comprised five in Vadodara, two in Jamnagar and one each in Surat and Bhavnagar," he informed. (PTI)
Israel announced Sunday that it would allow unvaccinated tourists to enter the country beginning next month as the latest wave of the coronavirus recedes. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that foreign tourists, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, would be required to take PCR coronavirus tests before their flights and upon landing. The rules go into effect on March 1. "We are seeing a constant decline in morbidity data, so it is time to gradually open up," Bennett said. Israel has largely restricted the entry of foreign tourists for the past two years and virtually closed its skies to foreign visitors late last year with the arrival of the highly contagious omicron variant. Recent data has shown a sharp drop in new cases, mirroring patterns in other countries around the world. (AP)
Maharashtra on Sunday reported 1,437 fresh COVID-19 cases and six deaths due to the infection, taking the state's tally to 78,58,431 and the toll to 1,43,582, an official said. The discharge of 3,375 people during the day took the recovery count in Maharashtra to 76,94,439, which is 97.91 per cent of the caseload, leaving the state with 16,422 active cases, he said. With 1,02,856 samples being examined on Sunday, the number of tests in Maharashtra has gone up to 7,72 32,001, the official added. As per the state health department, Mumbai reported 167 cases and no death due to COVID-19, which increased the tally to 10,54,643 and kept the toll at 16,687. (PTI)
Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded 151 fresh coronavirus cases, taking its infection tally to 4,52,306, while no death due to the disease was reported in a span of 24 hours, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 90 were from the Jammu division and 61 from the Kashmir division, they said. The officials said Jammu district recorded the highest number of 43 new cases, followed by Doda with 29. There are 1,949 active cases of the disease in the union territory, and the number of recoveries stands at 4,45,611, they said. (PTI)
Telangana on Sunday registered 256 fresh coronavirus cases taking the total number of those affected by the disease to 7,86,678. However, no COVID-related deaths were reported in the last 24 hours and the toll remained 4,109. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the highest number of fresh cases with 107, followed by 19 in Ranga Reddy and 17 in Medchal Malkajgiri districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today. (PTI)
Pope Francis on Sunday hailed health care workers as heroes for their service every day, not just during the pandemic, asking the public in St. Peter's Square to join with him in public applause. Francis clapped his hands in what he said was a "great thank you" for health workers, including volunteers, who care for the sick. Italy was marking Sunday as a national day to pay tribute to health care workers. The national professional association of doctors counts 370 physicians who have died of COVID-19 in Italy. "We must recall the many doctors, nurses, volunteers, who are close to the sick, treat them, make them feel better, help them,'' Francis said in his weekly appearance from a window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking the square. (AP)
COVID19 | Mumbai reports 167 fresh infections, 286 recoveries, & zero deaths today; Active cases stand at 1,511 (ANI)
Nagaland on Sunday reported two new COVID-19 cases, 13 less than the previous day, taking the tally in the state to 35,357, a health department official said. The state's coronavirus death toll stood at 753 for the fifth consecutive day as no patient succumbed to the disease during the period. Nagaland now has 264 active cases, while 32,864 people have recovered from the disease, including 33 in the last 24 hours, the official said. (PTI)
The COVID-19 tally in Nashik reached 4,75,387 on Sunday with the detection of 89 cases, while one death took the toll to 8,887, an official said. So far, 4,65,674 people have been discharged post recovery, including 198 during the day, leaving the district with an active caseload of 736, he said. (PTI)
Daily COVID-19 cases continued to drop in Kerala with the state on Sunday recording 5,427 fresh infections which raised the total caseload to 64,68,990. On Saturday, the southern state had recorded 6,757 fresh COVID-19 cases. Kerala reported 92 deaths today, which raised the total fatalities to 64,145, a government release said. Of the deaths, 9 were reported in the last 24 hours, 39 were those which occurred in the last few days but were not recorded due to late receipt of documents and 44 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, the release said. (PTI)
Registering a steady decline, Andhra Pradesh added 335 fresh cases of Covid-19 in 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday. Also, 936 infected people got cured and three more succumbed in the state, according to the latest bulletin. The number of active cases fell to 6,754, it said. The total positives now climbed to 23,16,285, recoveries to 22,94,818 and deaths 14,713. West Godavari district reported 84 and East Godavari 52 fresh cases in 24 hours. (PTI)
Queen Elizabeth, 95, has tested positive for COVID and is experiencing mild symptoms but expects to continue light duties this week, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday. "The queen has today tested positive for COVID," the Palace said. "Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week." (Reuters)
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload rose to 12,82,481 on Sunday as 492 more people, 42 less than the previous day's figure, tested positive for the virus, the health department said in a bulletin. The death toll due to coronavirus mounted to 9,011, with 17 more patients succumbing to the infection, it said. The state had logged 534 new COVID-19 cases and 18 fresh fatalities on Saturday. Odisha now has 6,308 active cases, while the 12,67,109 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 1,266 in the last 24 hours, a bulletin said. (PTI)
Stringent anti-virus controls that ban public gatherings in Hong Kong of more than two people might be tightened to stop a surge in infections, the territory's top health official said Sunday, as 14 deaths and more than 6,000 new cases were reported. Health Secretary Sophia Chan, speaking on a radio program, gave no details of possible new restrictions and called on the public to stay at home. Hong Kong already is operating under its strictest curbs on travel, business and public activity since the pandemic began. In place since Feb. 10, they also prohibit gatherings of more than two households. Restaurants, hair salons and religious sites were ordered closed. The territory had 6,067 confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours. That was close to Thursday's 6,116 cases, its highest daily total yet. (AP)
Australia will welcome international tourists on Monday after nearly two years of sealing its borders, relying on high COVID-19 vaccination rates to live with the pandemic as infections decline."The wait is over," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told a Sunday briefing at the Melbourne International Airport.Australia's opening to tourists is the clearest example yet of the government's shift from a strict zero-COVID approach to living with the virus and vaccinating the public to minimise deaths and severe illness.Most of the country's 2.7 million coronavirus infections have occurred since the Omicron variant emerged in late November. - Reuters
Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur, have come up with a decision framework for educational institutions called "Campus RAKSHAK" that integrates various applications and tools into one to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 and ensure smooth reopening of campuses. IIT Jodhpur has collaborated with IISc Bangalore, IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Bombay, Algorithmic Biologics Pvt Ltd, HeathBadge Private Limited and Prthvi.AI to build, integrate and test to ensure safety on campuses through this initiative. - PTI
The British government confirmed Saturday that people with COVID-19 won't be legally required to self-isolate starting next week, as part of a plan for ’living with COVID’ that is also likely to see testing for the coronavirus scaled back. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ending all of the legal restrictions brought in to curb the spread of the virus will let people in the UK ‘protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms.’ But some of the government's scientific advisers said it was a risky move that could bring a surge in infections and weaken the country's defenses against more virulent future strains. AP
Puducherry registered 33 new coronavirus cases on Sunday taking the overall tally in the Union Territory to 1,65,597. In a press release, Director of Health G Sriramulu said the 33 fresh cases identified at the end of examination of 1,672 samples in the last 24 hours were spread over Puducherry (17), Karaikal (9), Yanam (4) and Mahe (3). He said there were 419 active cases with 20 patients undergoing treatment in hospitals and the remaining 399 staying in home quarantine. One more person hailing from Puducherry succumbed to the infection raising the total death toll in the UT to 1,960. - PTI
Hong Kong is in "all-out combat" to contain a surge in coronavirus cases, the city's number two official said on Sunday, with the ramping up of community isolation and treatment units helped by mainland Chinese construction teams.With a reported 6,063 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the government said in a statement that the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal would be turned into a dedicated COVID facility with 1,000 beds to mitigate overburdened public hospitals.Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam, who attended a ground-breaking ceremony at a construction site for nearly 10,000 COVID units at Penny's Bay close to the city's Disneyland resort, said the initiatives would enhance the city's anti-epidemic capacity "within a very short period of time". Reuters
The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded only a single new COVID-19 case, pushing the tally to 10,001, a health department official said on Sunday. Twenty-three more people recovered from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 9,833, the official said. The archipelago now has 39 active COVID-19 cases, he said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 129 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said. Andaman and Nicobar Islands had reported six new cases and 28 recoveries on Saturday. - PTI
Ladakh's COVID-19 caseload increased to 27,801 on Sunday as 55 more people tested positive for the viral disease, officials said. There are 398 active cases in the Union Territory, of which 325 are in Leh district and 60 in Kargil district, the officials said. According to the officials, the COVID-19 death toll remained unchanged at 228 with 168 fatalities in Leh and 60 in Kargil. Of the new cases, 50 were detected in Leh and five in Kargil, while 62 patients-- 45 in Leh and 17 in Kargil were discharged after undergoing successful treatment, the officials said. They said the total number of recoveries has increased to 27,175. PTI