Pre-booking RT-PCR test must for 'at-risk' arrivals into six metro cities from December 20
Passengers flying from “at risk” countries into six metro airports will mandatorily need to pre-book their mandatory on-arrival RT-PCR test from the midnight of December 19-20. The aviation ministry’s order to the effect issued Tuesday says “first phase” will be implemented at Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai airports.
Experts deliberating on need for booster doses of Covid vaccines: Centre tells Delhi HC
The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that experts are deliberating on the possible need and justification for booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines and currently there are no guidelines on it.
Pfizer says Covid-19 pill near 90% effective in final analysis
The US drugmaker last month said the oral medicine was around 89% effective in preventing hospitalizations or deaths when compared to placebo based on interim results in around 1,200 people. The data disclosed on Tuesday includes an additional 1,000 people.
WHO expects increase in number of deaths, hospitalisations from Covid variant Omicron
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it expects an increase in the number of hospitalisations and fatalities related to the new Omicron coronavirus strain, reported Sputnik.
Covishield production capacity 250-275 million doses a month, Covaxin 50-60 million: MoS Health
The current vaccine production capacity of Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, is approximately 250-275 million doses per month while it is about 50-60 million doses per month for Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Universal coverage of COVID-19 vaccine foremost priority: VK Paul
COVID-19 Task Force chief V K Paul on Tuesday said the foremost priority right now is to make sure that there is universal coverage of the vaccine and no one is left behind. Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Paul said the pandemic is still ongoing, and globally there are 3.6 billion people who are not vaccinated.
Nitish Kumar says we are highly alert in view of the Omicron threat, 100% vaccination to complete soon
We are highly alert in view of the Omicron threat. Till now, over 9 crore COVID19 vaccinations have been done in Bihar. We will achieve 100% vaccination soon, says Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla says covid vaccine for children in six months
Serum Institute of India (SII), hopes to launch COVID-19 vaccine for children, Novavax, in six months, CEO Adar Poonawalla said, Reuters reported. The vaccine, which SII calls Covovax, has shown good results in trials in children aged three and older, Adar Poonawalla told an industry conference.
Pfizer vaccine protecting against hospitalisation during Omicron wave, says study
Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appear to have given 70% protection against hospitalisation in South Africa in recent weeks, a major real-world study on the potential impact of Omicron showed on Tuesday, as the country battles a spike in infections linked to the new variant.
Over 55 percent of India's adult population fully vaccinated: Health Ministry
Union Health Minister on Tuesday tweeted that over 55 per cent of India's eligible adult population has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. According to Health Ministry officials, 55.52 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated with 87 per cent people receiving the first dose of the vaccine, PTI reported.
Person on Israeli PM's flight from UAE tests COVID positive
A person who was on Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's flight back from the United Arab Emirates has tested positive for COVID-19, the prime minister's office said on Tuesday.
Gujrat: Difference in criteria of SC, health ministry likely reason for discrepancy in COVID-19 death numbers
The Gujarat government on Tuesday said difference in criteria set by the Supreme Court for compensation to those who die due to COVID-19 and the health ministry's definition of such deaths is the likely cause of difference between the number of recorded deaths due to pandemic in the state and people seeking compensation.
New Delhi: LS members ask govt to prepare to deal with challenges posed by Omicron
Lok Sabha members on Tuesday cautioned the Modi government on the challenges posed by the rising cases of Omicron variant of COVID-19, and asked it to spell out plans for administering booster dose of vaccination.
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said there were at least 250 people in hospital with Omicron
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said on Tuesday that there were at least 250 people in hospital with Omicron and that those numbers could increase dramatically unless swift action was taken.
Four new cases take Omicron tally in Rajasthan to 17
Four more people tested positive for Omicron variant of Coronavirus in Rajasthan on Monday taking the tally to 17 in the state, Health officials said.
Maheep Kapoor tests positive for COVID-19
Jewellery designer and film personality Maheep Kapoor has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under home quarantine, her actor-husband Sanjay Kapoor said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh mulls stepping up booster shot campaign amid Omicron fears
Bangladesh is planning to step up its campaign to administer booster shots against Covid-19 following the discovery of confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.
Indonesia to begin Covid vaccination for kids aged 6 to 11
Starting from Tuesday, Indonesia will start vaccinating children aged six to 11 years old against Covid-19, targeting 26.5 million kids, according to the Ministry of Health.
4 more people with travel history to foreign countries test positive for Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Delhi
Delhi's first patient of Omicron variant of COVID-19 discharged from hospital
Delhi's first patient of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, a 37-year-old man, has been discharged from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital, officials said on Tuesday.
Delhi: ILBS genome lab sequences almost 1,500 samples of COVID-19
The Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) COVID-19 sequencing lab in Delhi that was started in July this year has sequenced almost 1,500 samples of the virus so far, the majority are Delta.
India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination exceeds 133.88 cr
With the administration of nearly 67 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, the cumulative vaccination coverage of India has exceeded 133.88 crore, the Union Health Ministry informed on Tuesday.
Not right to be carefree: Mumbai mayor after Kareena Kapoor Khan contracts COVID-19
In the wake of actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and Amrita Arora contracting COVID-19, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has said it is not right to be carefree when the pandemic has not ended.
South Korea extends overseas travel advisory
South Korea has extended its special advisory against overseas travel for another month due to the global spread of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
India COVID-19: New cases at 5,784, lowest in nearly 19 months
India reported 5,784 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, according to data from the health ministry as of 0800 IST. The daily tally of cases is the lowest since May 21, 2020,
Global Covid caseload tops 270.7 mn
The global coronavirus caseload has topped 270.7 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.31 million and vaccinations to over 8.47 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Canadian city Kingston limits gatherings to 5 over variant Kingston
A city in Canada's most populous province is limiting gatherings to a maximum of five people in response to the spread of the omicron variant and the variant prompted several regions in Ontario to announce new public health measures on Monday.
California brings back mask mandate as virus cases rise
California is bringing back a rule requiring people to wear masks indoors, a move aimed at containing a new type of the coronavirus as people gather with family and friends during the holidays.
