21,821 new cases takes India’s COVID-19 tally to 1,02,66,674

India has reported 21,821 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 1,02,66,674, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). As many as 26,139 recoveries and 299 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry. The tally of […]

New coronavirus strain: India extends ban on UK flights till Jan 7

A decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension of flights to and from the United Kingdom till 7 January 2021, informed Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday. The government has imposed a ban on flights coming to India from the UK with effect from December 22 in the view of new […]

Manipur police collects Rs 1.45 crore fine for COVID-19 rule violations

Manipur Police has collected a sum of Rs 1.45 crore as fine from people for violating COVID-19 guidelines in the state, an officer said. The Manipur State Disaster Management Authority issued COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions like compulsory wearing of masks in public places, no spitting in public and maintaining social distancing norms after the first […]

20 persons found with mutant variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus reported from UK: Health Ministry

A total of 20 persons in India have been found with the mutant variant of SARS- CoV-2 virus reported from the United Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). These include the six persons reported earlier – three in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in CCMB, Hyderabad and one in NIV, Pune. Government […]

Dry run for COVID-19 vaccination successfully conducted in four states including Assam

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare conducted a two-day dry run for activities entailed in COVID-19 vaccination in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat from December 28 to December 29. “Backed with the experience of rolling out Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) and conducting nationwide multiple wide-range injectable vaccination campaigns such as measles-rubella (MR) and […]

Non-judicious use of therapies for COVID-19 leads to virus mutations: ICMR chief

Non-judicious use of therapies that have not been established for COVID-19 treatment are responsible for putting “immune pressure on virus” and leads to virus mutations, ICMR Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Tuesday. “Those therapies which are being touted as ‘anti-viral’ or ‘anti-COVID therapies’ and they have do not have benefits established in a scientific […]

Covaxin can work against mutated coronavirus: Bharat Biotech

Covaxin, a vaccine candidate being developed by Bharat Biotech for COVID-19, can offer protection against mutations of coronavirus, Chairman and Managing Director of the city-based vaccine maker Krishna Ella said on Tuesday. He also said the company has approached regulatory authorities seeking approval for an emergency license to use the vaccine, developed in collaboration with […]

India records lowest daily rise in COVID-19 cases over 6 months

India on Tuesday has surpassed a crucial milestone in its fight against the global pandemic as the country recorded the lowest daily rise in over six months. Less than 16,500 daily new cases (16,432) were added to the national tally in the last 24 hours after 187 days. The daily new cases were 16,922 on […]

6 UK returnees test positive for new mutant virus strain in India

Six returnees from the UK have been found positive for the new variant coronavirus genome in India. The Union Health Minister stated that samples of three UK returnees have been tested and found positive for new UK strain in NIMHANS, Bengaluru, two in Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and one in National Institute […]