In a statement, the Health ministry said the share of active cases in the total positive cases has further decreased to 5.48% in the country.
The cumulative national figure is 93.05%. The total recovered cases stand at 81,63,572, and the gap between the recovered cases and active cases that is steadily increasing, presently stands at 76,82,853, the ministry said.
You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.
Here are the updates:
Centre to increase ICU beds in Delhi, aims at conducting over 1 lakh tests per day
After a meeting called by the Home Minister to evaluate the COVID-19 situation in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Centre will make provisions for 750 ICU beds at the DRDO centre to deal with the shortage of ICU beds in the Capital.
Testing will also be increased to over 1 lakh a day with the help of ICMR as Delhi government that has been conducting approximately 60,000 tests is at capacity.
— Delhi Bureau
Lord Ayyappa temple opens, devotees to be allowed from Nov 16
The hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala opened on November 15 evening for the annual two-month long Mandala-Makaravillakku season, adhering to strict COVID- 19 protocol.
Devotees would be allowed inside the temple only from November 16 morning, temple sources said. No special pujas were held on November 15.
Melshanti A.K. Sudheer Namboothiri opened the doors of the sanctum sanctorum and lit the lamps at 5 p.m. in the presence of Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru, heralding the start of the 62-day long pilgrim season.
The newly elected melsanthi V.K. Jayaraj Potti and Malikkapuram Melsanthi M.N. Raj Kumar, were the first to climb the holy 18 steps and offer prayers. They took charge this evening. — PTI
Amit Shah takes stock of COVID-19 situation in Delhi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Novmeber 15 took stock of Delhi’s COVID-19 situation in the wake of recent spike in cases in the national capital, officials said.
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain and senior officers of the Central government attended the meeting chaired by Mr. Shah.
The Home Minister reviewed the situation arising due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in Delhi and discussed ways to deal with it, a Home Ministry official said.
Coronavirus | Amit Shah takes stock of COVID-19 situation in Delhi
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren tests positive for COVID-19
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced on social media on Sunday that he had tested COVID-19 positive. He volunteered for the test after he felt uneasy.
He also exhorted those who had come into close contact with him in the past few days to get tested and take necessary care.
Though Manipur has been taking care to check the pandemic there were some lapses during the electioneering for the bypolls in five Assembly constituencies on November 7 as people did not maintain COVID-19 norms. Thousands of people were seen jostling or sitting in close contact during the election meetings.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren tests positive for COVID-19
Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel critical
Senior Congress leader and party treasurer Ahmed Patel is in a critical condition following a series of complications after he tested positive for COVID-19 on October 1.
He is currently admitted at the Intensive Care Unit of the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon.
The infection, sources said, had caused damage to his lung and affected other critical organs too.
In a detailed tweet, for the first time since over a month-long hospitalisation, his son Faisal Patel said that his condition remained stable and he continued to be under medical observation.
First batch of Sputnik V vaccine to arrive in Kanpur medical college for Phase 2, 3 trials
The first batch of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19 is likely to reach Kanpur’s Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Medical College by next week wherein the vaccine’s Phase 2 and Phase 3 human clinical trials will be conducted.
The decision to conduct the human clinical trials of the vaccine was taken after Dr Reddy’s Laboratories got approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in this regard, an official said.
First batch of Sputnik V vaccine to arrive in Kanpur medical college for Phase 2, 3 trials
Bengal celebrates Kali puja, Diwali sans fireworks
The ban on sale and use of fireworks this year saved the people of West Bengal from noise and pollution on the evening of Kali Puja and Diwali on Saturday, while ‘diyas’ (earthen lamps), candles and decorative electric lights illuminated houses creating the festive spirit.
Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wished people on the two occasions.
Beautiful marquees, some resembling temples and famous buildings, came up in parks and on streets with idols of the deity of goddess Kali put up inside.
The Calcutta High Court had last week banned the use and sale of firecrackers in West Bengal during Kali Puja, Diwali, Chhath and other pujas during this festive season to curb pollution amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
'Can't take any more': Lisbon's bar, restaurant workers protest amid COVID-19 rules
Bars and nightclubs in Lisbon have been closed since March and although restaurants have since reopened, owners and workers fear that the new restrictions to fight the virus could kill the sector.
At weekends, a lockdown is in place from 1 p.m. to 5 a.m., during which all commercial outlets and restaurants must shut, although there are some exceptions. A night-time curfew is also in force during weekdays.
The government of Prime Minister Antonio Costa says the new measures are necessary to bring the pandemic under control and avoid stricter restrictions next month.
The country of just over 10 million people has recorded 211,266 coronavirus cases and 3,305 deaths. Like much of the rest of Europe it is battling a second wave: infections hit 6,653 cases on Friday, the highest daily figure since the pandemic started.
Firecrackers heard across Delhi on Diwali night despite ban
Bursting of firecrackers could be heard across Delhi and its neighbouring areas on Diwali night even though a ban was imposed on its sale and use in the national capital region in view of rising air pollution and COVID-19 pandemic.
Sparklers were seen lighting up the night sky while crackers went off on the ground in various areas.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on Monday imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) till November 30 midnight.
The Delhi government too had earlier this month imposed a total ban on all kinds of fireworks till November 30.
Austria shuts schools, most stores, to curb spread of coronavirus
Austria announced on Saturday that it is tightening its partial lockdown, including by closing non-essential stores and shifting schools to online teaching, amid galloping coronavirus infection rates in the Alpine nation.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the measures had become necessary because Austria has seen a weekly average of 550 new cases of coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants, a level 11 times greater than what authorities said would be sustainable.
“If we don’t react massively, then there’s a great risk that the numbers will continue to rise or stay at a high level," Mr. Kurz told reporters in Vienna. Austrian health officials are unable to trace 77 new cases, he added.
At least 10 killed in a fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in Romania
Romanian officials say a fire at a hospital treating COVID-19 patients has killed 10 people and critically injured seven others.
The blaze spread through the intensive care ward designated for people with COVID-19 patients at the public hospital in the northern city of Piatra Neamt, said Irina Popa, the spokeswoman for the local Emergency Situations Inspectorate.
Popa said all of the people who died or were injured in Saturday’s fire except one were hospital patients.
Romanian Health Minister, Nelu Tataru, told local media the fire was “most likely triggered by a short circuit.”
- AP
Elon Musk says 'most likely' has a moderate case of COVID-19
Tesla Inc Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on Saturday he “most likely” has a moderate case of COVID-19, as he continued to question the accuracy of the tests.
“Am getting wildly different results from different labs, but most likely I have a moderate case of covid. My symptoms are that of a minor cold, which is no surprise, since a coronavirus is a type of cold,” Mr. Musk wrote in a tweet.
Mr. Musk said on Thursday that rapid antigen test results from the same machine and the same test showed he tested positive twice and then negative twice all on the same day.
Places of worship in Maharashtra to reopen from November 16: Uddhav Thackeray
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in a statement on Saturday said places of religious worship across the State, which were shut since the COVID-19 lockdown in March, will reopen from November 16.
Extending greetings to people on the occasion of Diwali, he said, “We can’t forget that the demon coronavirus is still amongst us. Even though this demon is slowly falling silent now, we cannot be complacent. Citizens need to follow discipline”.
“Just like discipline and restraint were observed while celebrating Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi,Navratri and Pandharpur wari (annual pilgrimage), followers of other faiths also celebrated festivals like Eid, Mount Mary festival by keeping the COVID-19 safety protocol in mind,” he said.
India has initiated an integrated response against COVID-19 pandemic: Harsh Vardhan
From development of indigenous vaccines to novel point-of-care diagnostics, India has initiated an integrated response to overcome the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.
Speaking at the 8th BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting held on Friday, Mr. Vardhan said India is also hosting clinical trials for all the major vaccines, and about 20 vaccines are in different stages of development.
Two of them are in the most advanced stage of development. Covaxin developed through ICMR-Bharat Biotech collaboration and Covishield from the Serum Institute of India. Both are in Phase-III clinical trial stage, he added.
(With inputs from Agencies)
