Coronavirus news highlights: Karnataka reports 1,963 new Covid-19 cases, 19 deaths

India's coronavirus tally crossed 85.5 lakh while the death toll stood at 1.26 lakh with 490 fatalities in 24 hours. Over 79 lakh people have recovered from the disease in India so far with a recovery rate of 92.49 per cent — the highest in the world. India has the world's second-highest caseload behind the United States but has seen a steady dip in cases since September, in spite of the start of the Hindu festival season. Meanwhile, the US became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass one crore coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the third wave of the Covid-19 virus surges across the nation. Stay tuned on DH for more latest updates.

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Karnataka reports 1,963 new Covid-19 cases, 19 deaths

Karnataka reported 1,963 new Covid-19 cases 19 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 8,48,850 and the toll to 11,410, the health department said on Monday.

The day also saw 2,686 patients getting discharged after recovery. Out of the fresh cases, 978 were from Bengaluru urban alone.

As of November 9 evening, cumulatively 8,48,850 Covid-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 11,410 deaths and 8,04,485 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.

163 fresh coronavirus cases in Noida

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar recorded 163 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the district's infection tally to 19,414, the fifth highest in the state, official data showed.

So far, 69 people have died from the infection in the district.

Active cases came down to 1,297, the third highest in the state, from 1,337 the previous day, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period.

Ahmedabad records 183 new Covid-19 cases, 184 recoveries

The number of coronavirus cases in Ahmedabad district rose to 44,106 after 183 more persons tested positive for the infection on Monday, said the Gujarat health department.

Two more Covid-19 patients died in the district, raising the total fatalities to 1,936, it said.

The department said in a release that 184 patients were also discharged, pushing the number of recoveries in the district to 38,988.

Madhya Pradesh adds 809 new Covid-19 cases; 681 recover

Madhya Pradesh on Monday reported 809 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 1,78,168, while six fatalities pushed the toll to 3,034, health officials said.

A total of 681 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of recoveries to 1,67,084.

While three Covid-19 patients died in Indore, two others succumbed to the infection in Bhopal while another person died in Satna, officials said.

2,427 fresh coronavirus cases, 7 more fatalities in Haryana

Haryana on Monday reported 2,427 fresh novel coronavirus cases taking the caseload in the state to 1,85,231 and seven more people died taking the Covid-19 related death toll to 1,919, a health bulletin stated.

Of the latest fatalities, three were from Fatehabad, two from Sirsa and one death each was reported from Gurugram and Charkhi Dadri districts, according to the state health department's daily bulletin.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky tests positive for coronavirus: Presidency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, his office said on Monday.

"Unfortunately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has tested positive for the coronavirus infection," his office said in a statement on Facebook.

It added that Zelensky "is feeling well" and will self-isolate and continue to perform his duties.

After Pfizer, Russia claims Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine over 90% effective

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 is more than 90 per cent effective, a representative of the health ministry said on Monday, citing data collated from vaccinations of the public rather than from an ongoing trial.

The comments followed a statement earlier on Monday by vaccine developers Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, who said their experimental Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90 per cent effective.

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Madhya Pradesh adds 809 new Covid-19 cases; 681 recover

Madhya Pradesh on Monday reported 809 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 1,78,168, while six fatalities pushed the toll to 3,034, health officials said.

A total of 681 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the tally of recoveries to 1,67,084.

While three Covid-19 patients died in Indore, two others succumbed to the infection in Bhopal while another person died in Satna, officials said.

Goa sees 144 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths; 232 recover

Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 144 to reach 45,209 on Monday, while the toll touched 647 as four people succumbed to the infection, an official said.

He said 232 people for discharged during the day, taking the overall count of such cases to 42,678, leaving the state with 1,884 active cases.

Goa's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 45,209, new cases 144, death toll 647, discharged 42,678, active cases 1,884, samples tested till date 3,14,183.

Bengal logs record recovery of 4,396 Covid patients

West Bengal on Monday reported the highest single-day recovery of 4,396 Covid -19 patients, taking the total number of cured people to 3,67,850, the health department said in a bulletin.

The death toll rose to 7,350 after 56 more people succumbed to the disease.

The bulletin said that 3,907 people tested positive for the infection during the day, pushing the tally to 4,09,221.

The number of active cases now is 34,021.

Outpatient services through tele-medicine platform for Covid-19 patients

As coronavirus is yet to be contained completely, people can now avail themselves of Covid-19 outpatient services through a tele-medicine platform e-Sanjeevani.

People, suffering from the virus infection, and those with post-Covid-19 syndrome can use the service, state Health Minister K K Shylaja said here on Monday.

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Winters, festivities may upend gains made against Covid-19, says Vardhan at review meet

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan reviewed on Monday the Covid-19 situation in nine states, including West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, and expressed concern that the winters and the festive season could potentially threaten the gains made against the viral infection.

Interacting with the state health ministers and principal secretaries or additional chief secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana and Kerala, he stressed that India has the highest recovery rate and one of the lowest fatality rate, globally.

UK says expects to receive 10 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this year

Britain expects to have 10 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech's candidate Covid-19 vaccine available by the end of the year if regulators approve it, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said on Monday, following positive clinical trial results.

The spokesman said that Britain had now ordered 40 million doses of the candidate vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, one of six that the government has agreed supply deals for.

Israel tests passengers from Denmark for new mutated coronavirus

Israel said on Monday it would test people arriving from Denmark for a new mutated strain of coronavirus stemming from Danish mink farms, and ask them to self-isolate.

The health ministry issued the statement after unconfirmed reports by N12 News and other media that three Israelis returning from Denmark were suspected of having been infected with the new strain.

"The likelihood of a patient carrying the mutation arriving in Israel is low ... At the same time we are exercising extra caution," the ministry said.

Philippines seeking 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines next year

The Philippines plans to procure an initial 50 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to ensure at least a quarter of its population gets inoculated next year, a top coronavirus task force official said on Monday.

Carlito Galvez, the former general in charge of implementing the country's strategy to fight the coronavirus, said several embassies had been contacted about potential government-to-government arrangement for purchasing the vaccines.

Hungary set for partial lockdown as coronavirus surges

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Monday a partial lockdown aimed at curbing a surge in coronavirus deaths that has sparked predictions of overwhelmed hospitals.

The measures, due to start Wednesday, include an extension of an existing night-time curfew, a ban on gatherings, and closures of bars, restaurants and cultural venues, Orban said in a Facebook video.

Pfizer, BioNTech say their Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective

Pfizer Inc on Monday said its experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 based on initial data from a large study, a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed over 1 million people, roiled the world's economy and upended daily life.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech SE are the first drugmakers to show successful data from a large-scale clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine. The companies said they have so far found no serious safety concerns and expect to seek US emergency use authorization later this month.

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Shanghai reports one new confirmed coronavirus case

China's financial hub of Shanghai said on Monday it had confirmed one new coronavirus case involving a 51-year-old man who worked at the city's Pudong Airport.

Li Guohua, the deputy head of the city's Pudong New Area, made the announcement at a news conference.

Tripura reports 26 new Covid-19 cases, 2 fresh fatalities

Tripura's Covid-19 tally rose to 31,543 on Monday as 26 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

Two fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 356, he said.

West Tripura district, under which Agartala falls, has reported 184 coronavirus fatalities so far, the official said.

Tripura now has 1,222 active coronavirus cases, while 29,942 people have recovered from the disease and 23 patients have migrated to other states, he said.

Germany expects Covid-19 vaccine in Q1 2021 at the earliest

Germany does not expect a coronavirus vaccine to be available before the first quarter of 2021, according to a copy of its national vaccine strategy seen by Reuters on Monday.

The 15-page strategy paper from the health ministry sets out seven potential vaccines which are expected to complete testing this year or next and could be available in sufficient amounts to begin a nationwide vaccination campaign for priority groups.

West Bengal apprehensive of violating Covid-19 protocols as local trains set to resume

Apprehension of violation of Covid safety protocol is looming large as the Eastern and South-Eastern Railways geared up to resume suburban train services from Wednesday on a request by the West Bengal government.

The Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway will together run 696 local trains daily in strict adherence to social distancing and other safety norms to meet the demand of commuters who have been going through a harrowing time to reach their destinations owing to the non-availability of suburban trains, officials said on Monday.

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Tata launches faster Covid-19 test as cases rise

Tata Group launched a Covid-19 test kit on Monday that it says will process results more easily and faster than the RT-PCR method considered the gold standard for detection, at a time when cases are still rising in the country.

The nasal swab test, developed jointly by Tata and the government, is also more accurate than the rapid antigen test currently favoured in India, the ministry of science and technology said

Spell of heavy smog in Indian capital raises fears for Covid patients

Residents of the Indian capital are enduring one of the worst spells of air pollution in years, data released on Monday showed, raising the risks to city residents posed by the novel coronavirus, doctors said.

Pollution in New Delhi had almost disappeared earlier this year, when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to stop the coronavirus. But the curbs have been lifted and the pollution, and the virus, are back with a vengeance.

Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI), which includes the concentration of PM2.5 particles as well as bigger pollutants, has stayed above 400, on a scale of 500, for five consecutive days, government data showed.

Indonesia reports 2,853 new coronavirus infections, 75 more deaths

Indonesia reported 2,853 new coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the total number of cases to 440,569, data from the country's Covid-19 task force showed.

It also reported 75 more deaths, taking total fatalities to 14,689. Overall, 372,266 people have recovered from the virus, it said

Texas becomes first US state to surpass one million coronavirus cases

Texas has become the first US state to cross over a million coronavirus cases as President-elect Joe Biden is gearing up to battle the deadly virus which has infected more than 9.8 million people in the country.

According to Johns Hopkins University, Texas is one of the 31 states that has hit a record number of coronavirus cases this week. In Harris County, there are more than 167,000 cases and more than 2,300 deaths with the numbers climbing.

Philippines reports 108 more Covid-19 deaths, highest toll in over two weeks

The Philippines reported 108 new deaths from Covid-19 on Monday, the highest daily death toll since Oct. 23, taking total fatalities to 7,647, the country's health ministry said.

The Department of Health also reported 2,058 new coronavirus infections, taking the total to 398,449, the second highest number in Southeast Asia.

Sweden will extend wage support and income compensation for companies hit by the pandemic and measures to halt its spread.

Wary of violating Covid-19 protocols, West Bengal to start operating local trains from Wednesday

Use of face mask will bemandatory, and the railway and the state government authorities will ensure multiple rounds of checking to maintain the social distancing norms, said an official

Six more people, including two Border Security Force personnel, test Covid-19 positive for in Mizoram; infection tally rises to 3,096. There are 476 active cases of the disease in the state at present

Russia reported a record high of 21,798 new coronavirus infections, death toll at 30,793

Moscow saw6,897 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 1,796,132.Authorities reported 256coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours

Compounds that inhibit coronavirus entry, replication in human cells identified

Scientists in the US have identified some existing compounds that can inhibit two key proteins required by the novel coronavirus to gain entry into human cells and replicationan advance that may help develop new effective anti-viral drugs for Covid-19

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Arunachal Pradesh records 1,509 active Covid-19 cases

The state reported 47 new Covid-19 cases, one more fatality. Infection tally mounts to 15,436, death toll at 46

Odisha's Covid-19 tally mounts to 3,02,793 with 1,219 new cases; 16 fresh fatalities push death toll to 1,441

France's economic activity is 12% lower than normal this month after the country entered a coronavirus lockdown for the second time this year

NGT imposes total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in NCR from November 9 to 30

Itdirectedall states/UTs to initiate drives to contain air pollution from all sources in view of potential aggravation of Covid-19

Telegu actor Cheeranjeevi tests positive for Covid-19

US becomes first nation to cross 10 million Covid-19 cases as third wave of infections surges

US reported about a million cases in the past 10 days, the highest rate of infections since the nation reported its first novel coronavirus case in Washington state 293 days ago. Global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million.

Covid-19 infection tally in Andaman and Nicobar Islands rises to 4,450 with nine new cases being reported. Number of active cases stands at 169.

Telangana reports 857 new Covid-19 cases, four more fatalities. Infection tally climbs to 2,51,188, death toll 1,381. A total of 19,239 patients are under treatment for the disease in the state.

Jharkhand reports 203 new Covid-19 cases, infection tally rises to 1,04,442. The state now has 4,471 active cases of the disease.

India looks to poor farmers to rescue its coronavirus-ravaged economy

India’s economy left cratered by the pandemic is drawing energy from one of its invisible and often-neglected engines: farmers.

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Brazil on Sunday reported 128 new Covid-19 deaths and 10,554 new coronavirus cases, according to official data.

Since the start of the pandemic, 162,397 people have died in Brazil and more than 5.66 million have been infected with the virus, the data shows.

People wearing facemasks participate in a walkathon organised by Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital to rise awareness on the coronavirus, in New Delhi. Credit: AFP Photo

Amazon expands in Brazil, riding e-commerce boom set off by Covid-19 distancing

Amazon said on Monday that it had opened three more logistics centres in Brazil to take advantage of the boost the Covid-19 pandemic has given to e-commerce in South America's largest economy.

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India's active Covid-19 caseload falls to 5,09,673.

India's death toll stands at 1,26,611 with 490 new fatalities.

With 48,405 recoveries in the last 24 hours, India's recovery tally crossed 79 lakh.

India reports 45,903 new Covid-19 cases; tally crosses 85.5 lakh

Record spike of 7,745 new coronavirus cases in Delhi take tally to over 4.3 lakh; toll rises to 6,989 with 77 more deaths.

The coronavirus has hit another sobering milestone: more than 50 million positive cases worldwide since the pandemic began.

Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker reported more than 50.2 million Covid-19 cases globally as of Sunday.

Covid-19 infections in Danish minks prompt scientific concern

The decision this past week by the Danish government to kill millions of mink because of coronavirus concerns, effectively wiping out a major national industry, has put the spotlight on simmering worries among scientists and conservationists about the vulnerability of animals to the pandemic virus and what infections among animals could mean for humans.

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A ‘terrifying’ coronavirus surge will land in Joe Biden’s lap

Hours after President-elect Joe Biden declared the coronavirus a top priority, the magnitude of his task became starkly clear Sunday as the nation surpassed 10 million cases and sank deeper into the grip of what could become the worst chapter of the pandemic yet.

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Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths on November 9

Some Covid-19 patients show only gastrointestinal symptoms: Doctors

Some Covid-19 patients may only show gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, an examination of findings, published in the Abdominal Radiology journal, from 36 studies done across the world from July has shown.

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China reported 33 new Covid-19 cases on November 8, up from 28 cases a day earlier, the national health authority reported on Monday.

Race to test most samples in Covid-hit area finds just one case

A race by a BBMP Covid-19 swab collection team to accumulate the highest number of samples in a single day in a Covid-hit area netted just one positive case who is said to be a serial mask violator.

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Delhi sees record single-day spike of 7,745 coronavirus cases

Delhi recorded its biggest single-day jump of 7,745 coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the positivity rate increasing to 15.26 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution, the health department said.

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The United States became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass 10 million coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the third wave of the Covid-19 virus surges across the nation.

President-elect Joe Biden is set to name a group of scientists to lead the United States response to the coronavirus, as the global tally of people sickened by the disease shoots past 50 million.

Good morning readers, welcome to DH's live coverage of the coronavirus outbreak.