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India’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 90.50 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to over 84.78 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 93.67 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Saturday. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 90,50,597 with 46,232 infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,32,726 with 564 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of active cases remained below five lakh for the eleventh consecutive day. There are 4,39,747 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country as on date, which comprises 4.86 per cent of the total caseload, as per the data. The total recoveries have surged to 84,78,124 pushing the national recovery rate to 93.67 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.47 per cent. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 6

Amazon on Tuesday launched an online pharmacy for delivering prescription medications in the United States, increasing competition with drug retailers such as Walgreens, CVS and Walmart. Called Amazon Pharmacy, the new store lets customers price-compare as they buy drugs on the company’s website or app. Shoppers can toggle at checkout between their co-pay and a non-insurance option, heavily discounted for members of its loyalty club Prime. The move builds on the web retailer’s 2018 acquisition of PillPack, which Amazon said will remain separate for customers needing pre-sorted doses of multiple drugs. Over the past two years, Amazon has worked to secure more state licenses for shipping prescriptions across the country, which had been an obstacle to its expansion into the drug supply chain, according to analyst notes from Jefferies Equity Research.

India today reported 47,905 fresh COVID-19 cases, 8% higher than on Wednesday. The country has up to 86.83 lakh cases so far with 1,28,121 deaths, up 550. Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh remained the top five most affected states in the country in overall numbers. The total number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 till now stands at 80,66,501, rising 52,718 since a day earlier. In terms of the number of deaths due to COVID-19, the top five states were Maharashtra (125), Delhi (85), West Bengal (49), Punjab (31), and Kerala (29). Up to 12,19,62,509 samples have been tested for COVID-19 till Wednesday, of which 11,93,358 were tested on Wednesday alone, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. Jharkhand’s COVID-19 tally rose to 1,05,224 on Thursday as 284 more people tested positive, a health official said. Three fresh fatalities pushed the state’s coronavirus death count to 913, he said. Ranchi district reported the highest numbe

Pfizer shares soared nearly 20 per cent to an all-time high on the BSE in early trading after its parent company, the US-based multinational pharma firm Pfizer said that its COVID-19 vaccine, developed in association with the German partner BioNTech SE, was more than 90 per cent effective against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19. Riding on the research developments, the shares of Pfizer opened at the day’s and all-time high of ₹ 5,875, up as much as 19.5 per cent, on the BSE. At 12:20 pm, the shares pared most of their gains and were trading at ₹ 5,100, up 3.7 per cent. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech have been the first to release data showing that their vaccine worked in large, late-stage clinical trials and said they did not find any serious safety concerns as yet. They will be seeking US emergency use authorization this month.

Delhi has reported over 6,000 new Covid cases every day since November 3 and 13 per cent of this may be linked to increased air pollution, the IMA (Indian Medical Association) said Saturday. The IMA advised people not to venture outdoors early morning, when pollution levels are at their highest and senior citizens and children – believed at greater risk of infection by the coronavirus – are more likely to develop infections and allergies. “Patients who are sensitive to respiratory diseases may find it difficult to breathe if air quality levels (AQI) is between 50 and 100. An AQI of 300 makes it difficult even those who are otherwise healthy,” Dr Rajan Sharma, the president of the medical body, said. On Saturday morning the national capital recorded an average AQI of 443; a rating of 401 or above is an indicator of “severe” pollution. Medial experts have, for several weeks now, been harping on the link between air pollution and Covid infections and warned that unless air quality levels

The number of active coronavirus cases in the country has witnessed a sustained downward trend – remaining below six lakh for the fourth day in a row – and such cases are now less than seven per cent of the total, the Union Health Ministry said Monday. On September 3, the active caseload was over 21 per cent of total reported cases around 82.3 lakh, the ministry added. India, the ministry also said, continues to lead the world in term of people recovering from infection by the novel coronavirus, with the total crossing 75 lakh after more than 53,000 people were discharged from hospitals and medical care facilities in the past 24 hours. This morning over 45,000 new cases were reported in the preceding 24 hours – the eighth consecutive day with fewer than 50,000 fresh infections and a significant drop from the 81,000 reported exactly one month ago. However, the average daily positivity rate – which indicates how widespread the infection could be – has increased from 4.6 per cent to 5.3 p

The country’s one-day coronavirus tally rose by almost 14 per cent with a jump of about 50,000 new COVID-19 infections taking its overall Covid numbers past the 80 lakh mark, the Health Ministry data shows. In the last 24 hours, the country reported 49,881 new cases of coronavirus as the total number of infected people till now shot to 80,40,203. The case rise reflects in the positivity rate, which was 4.6 per cent against Tuesday’s 4.1 per cent. The rise in new infections reflects the spread of the disease in some states as authorities brace for a new wave in the pandemic after Diwali, when the winter sets in. The list of states with highest cases is led by Kerala (8790), followed by Maharashtra (6,738), Delhi (5,673), West Bengal (3,924) and Karnataka (3,146), of which the first three states logged significantly higher Covid infections than on Tuesday. Together they account for 56 per cent of all cases reported yesterday. The unprecedented surge in Delhi has raised concerns, especial

The number of coronavirus cases reported in India in a span of 24 hours dropped below 40,000 after over three months, while the new fatalities?registered during the same period remained under 500,?according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday India’s COVID-19 caseload mounted to?79,46,429,?with?36,470 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 1,19,502 with 488 new fatalities being recorded, the data updated at 8 am showed A total?of 72,01,070 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far, pushing the?national recovery rate to 90.62 per cent while the?case?fatality rate stands at 1.50 per cent.? The number of active cases of coronavirus infection has remained below 7 lakh for five days in a row There are?6,25,857 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country as?on date?which comprises 7.88 per cent of the total caseload,?the data stated.??? India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7,?the 30-lakh

The number of coronavirus infections reported in a span of 24 hours remained below 60,000 for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as India’s caseload went past 77 lakh, while recoveries have crossed 68 lakh, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry The COVID-19 caseload mounted to?77,06,946 with?55,839 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll climbed to 1,16,616 with 702 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed A total of 68,74,518?people have recuperated from the disease so far pushing the national recovery rate to 89.20 per cent, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.51 per cent The active cases of coronavirus infection remained below eight lakh for the sixth consecutive day There are 7,15,812 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which accounts for 9.29 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7,?30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went p

Convalescent plasma therapy may be removed from the national guideline on treatment of coronavirus, chief of India’s top medical research body ICMR Dr Balram Bhargava said at a Health Ministry briefing today. “We have had discussions it (use of plasma therapy) at the national taskforce-level… more or less we are reaching towards that,” ICMR Director General Dr Balram said in response to a question on continued use of plasma therapy (CPT) despite an ICMR trial showing it does not reduce mortality or slow the progression of COVID-19. “The world’s largest trial on plasma therapy was done in India on 464 patients in 39 hospitals with more than 350 authors. This paper has been accepted for inclusion in the British Medical Journal and it will soon appear as a full paper on the role of plasma therapy on COVID-19,” he said. Reiterating that there was no scope of “letting our guard down” even though the coronavirus peak has passed in India and Covid may “almost end by February”, Union Health S

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd have received renewed approval to conduct late-stage clinical trials in India of the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, the sovereign wealth fund said on Saturday. Large-scale trials of the Sputnik V vaccine in India were first announced and then knocked back by Indian regulators, who said the scale of Phase I and II trials conducted in Russia earlier this year was too small, requesting that they be repeated. Following a new agreement, India will now carry out an adaptive phase II and III human clinical trial involving 1,500 participants, RDIF, which is marketing the vaccine abroad, said on Saturday. Under the deal, Dr Reddy’s will conduct the clinical trials and, subject to approval, distribute the finished vaccine in India. RDIF will supply 100 million doses to Dr Reddy’s. Russia, the first country to grant regulatory approval for a novel coronavirus vaccine, is also conducting Phase III trials of Sputnik V in Belarus,

Covid-19 patients may experience more severe symptoms the second time they are infected, according to research released Tuesday confirming it is possible to catch the potentially deadly disease more than once. A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal charts the first confirmed case of Covid-19 reinfection in the United States — the country worst hit by the pandemic — and indicates that exposure to the virus may not guarantee future immunity. The patient, a 25-year-old Nevada man, was infected with two distinct variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, within a 48-day time frame.  The second infection was more severe than the first, resulting in the patient being hospitalised with oxygen support. The paper noted four other cases of reinfection confirmed globally, with one patient each in Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Ecuador.  Experts said the prospect of reinfection could have a profound impact on how the world battles through the pandemic. In

Johnson & Johnson said Monday it had temporarily halted its Covid-19 vaccine trial because one of its participants had become sick. “We have temporarily paused further dosing in all our Covid-19 vaccine candidate clinical trials, including the  Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trial, due to an unexplained illness in a study participant,” the company said in a statement. The pause means the online enrollment system has been closed for the 60,000-patient clinical trial while the independent patient safety committee is convened. J&J said that serious adverse events (SAEs) are “an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies.” Company guidelines allowed them to pause a study to determine if the SAE was related to the drug in question and whether to resume study. The J&J Phase 3 trial had started recruiting participants in late September, with a goal of enrolling up to 60,000 volunteers across more than 200 sites in the US and around the world. The other countries where the tri

India’s COVID-19 recoveries crossed the 60-lakh mark, while less than 1000 coronavirus deaths have been recorded daily for eight consecutive days, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. Active cases of coronavirus are less than nine lakh for the third day in a row. With increasing recoveries, India has sustained its leading global position with the maximum recovered cases. The five top states with the maximum caseload (61 per cent of the active cases) are also contributing more than half (54.3 per cent) of the total recoveries, the ministry said. With a total 89,154 people having recuperated in a span of 24 hours, India’s COVID-19 recoveries have surged to 60,77,976 pushing the recovery rate 86.17 per cent, according to the data updated at 8 am. “Enhanced countrywide medical infrastructure, implementation of the Centre’s standard treatment protocol by the states and UTs, and total dedication and commitment of doctors, paramedics and frontline workers have led to a consistent slide i

India’s COVID-19 tally of cases went past 69 lakh with 70,496 infections being reported in a day, while active cases of infection fell below 9 lakh after a month comprising 12.94 per cent of the total caseload, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 69,06,151. The death toll climbed to 1,06,490 with 964 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries have surged to 59,06,069 pushing the recovery rate to 85.52 per cent, while there are 8,93,592 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country. The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection was recorded at 1.54 per cent. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 50 lakh on September 16 and crossed 60 lakh on September 28. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 8,46,34,680 samples have been tested up to O

For the 13th day in an “unbroken string”, India has maintained its steady trend of clocking less than 10 lakh active cases of COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. It also said that an average of 11.5 lakh tests for detection of coronavirus infection were done on a daily basis during the past ten days. From merely one in January 2020, India’s total tests for detection of COVID-19 have crossed 7.89 crore so far. There has been a commensurate dip in the COVID-19 positivity rate, it said. “With progressively falling positivity rate, testing has worked as a highly effective tool to limit the spread of COVID-19 infection,” the ministry highlighted. There are 9,37,625 active cases of COVID-19 as on date, which is 7,371 cases less than Saturday. India has posted high daily testing numbers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with 10,97,947, 11,32,675 and 11,42,131 tests being conducted respectively. “There has been an exponential rise in India’s daily testing capacities. More than 1

India continues to occupy the top global position with the maximum number of COVID-19 recoveries and accounts for 21 per cent of the recovered cases worldwide, while its share in the total cases stands at 18.6 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said today. India has also maintained its global position with one of the lowest COVID-19 case fatality rates (CFR) when compared to several other countries. While the global CFR stands at 2.97 per cent as on date, the comparative figure for India is 1.56 per cent, it said. The deaths per million population in India is one of the lowest in the world. While the global average is 130 deaths per million population, India is reporting 73 deaths per million population, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 54,27,706, with 75,628 recovering in a span of 24 hours, pushing the national recovery rate to 83.84 per cent, according to the ministry data updated at 8 am today. “India continues to occupy the t

US biotech firm Moderna won’t seek an emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine before November 25, its CEO told the Financial Times on Wednesday. The news deals a blow to President Donald Trump’s hopes of having an injection ready before the election to give his campaign a much-needed boost. Stephane Bancel told the newspaper: “November 25 is the time we will have enough safety data to be able to put into an EUA file that we would send to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – assuming that the safety data is good, i.e. a vaccine is deemed to be safe.” Trump, whose approval has taken a hit over his handling of the Covid-19 crisis, has frequently hinted a vaccine could be ready before the November 3 vote. This has raised concern among experts that his administration may attempt to interfere with the regulatory process for political reasons. The Republican repeated his claim on Tuesday night, during a debate with his Democratic rival, former vice president Joe Biden. “It

India’s COVID-19 caseload neared 60 lakh with 88,600 fresh infections being reported on Sunday, while the number of people having recuperated from the disease crossed 49 lakh pushing the national recovery rate to 82.46 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 59,92,532, while the death toll climbed to 94,503 with 1,124 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries have surged to 49,41,627, and there are 9,56,402 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 15.96 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.58 per cent. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and it went past 50 lakh on September 16. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 7,12,57,836 samples have been tested up to September 26

India’s COVID-19 caseload raced past 57 lakh, while over 46 lakh people have recovered from the disease pushing the national recovery rate to 81.55 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 57,32,518 with 86,508 people testing positive in a day while the death toll climbed to 91,149 with 1,129 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The total recoveries surged to 46,74,987 in the country so far. The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection was recorded at 1.59 per cent. There are 9,66,382 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 16.86 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and and it went past 50 lakh on September 16. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 6,74,36,031 samples have been tested up