The death toll mounted to 4,75,434 with the addition of 306 new fatalities.
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 latest developments:
National
Active case decline to 92,281 lowest in 560 days
With 7,774 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 3,46,90,510, while the number of active cases declined to 92,281, lowest in 560 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.
The death toll mounted to 4,75,434 with the addition of 306 new fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 a.m.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 45 days now- PTI
Brazil
Brazil justice rules vaccine passport mandatory for visitors
A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ruled Saturday that all travelers arriving in Brazil must present a vaccine passport documenting they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The decision from Luís Roberto Barroso challenges a more lenient rule announced by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opposed mandatory immunization against the virus that can cause COVID-19.
The federal government announced Tuesday that travelers arriving in Brazil did not have to produce a vaccine passport though they would have to undergo a five-day quarantine.- AP
Israel
Israeli study finds Pfizer COVID-19 booster protects against Omicron
Israeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant.
The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week, which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from the newly identified variant.
The study, carried out by Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory, compared the blood of 20 people who had received two vaccine doses 5-6 months earlier to the same number of individuals who had received a booster a month before.- Reuters
France
France approves antibody therapy for high-risk Covid cases
French health authorities have approved the use of an anti-body treatment made by AstraZeneca for high-risk people who show resistance to vaccines against coronavirus.
The independent public health body HAS Friday night announced “a greenlight for the preventive use of Evusheld… for patients with a very high-risk of contracting a severe form of Covid-19”.
Evusheld, developed by the British-Swedish pharma company, this week received emergency use authorisation in the United States for adults and children aged 12 and above.
The French approval is for adults only.
Evusheld, which is made from a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, is administered in two injections.- AFP
National
Finance ministry says Omicron likely to be a ‘less severe’ risk
India’s economic recovery is expected to gain further strength in the second half of this year, following the 8.4% GDP growth recorded in Q2, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday, citing preliminary evidence that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may be a ‘less severe’ risk.
Stressing that India is one of the few countries to record four consecutive quarters of growth amid COVID-19, the ministry said the country will catch up with pre-pandemic levels of economic activity for the full year of 2021-22.
The death toll mounted to 4,75,434 with the addition of 306 new fatalities. 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 latest developments:NationalActive case decline to 92,281 lowest in 560 daysWith 7,774 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 3,46,90,510, while the number of active cases declined to 92,281, lowest in 560 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.The death toll mounted to 4,75,434 with the addition of 306 new fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 a.m.The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 45 days now- PTIBrazilBrazil justice rules vaccine passport mandatory for visitorsA Brazilian Supreme Court justice ruled Saturday that all travelers arriving in Brazil must present a vaccine passport documenting they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.The decision from Luís Roberto Barroso challenges a more lenient rule announced by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has opposed mandatory immunization against the virus that can cause COVID-19.The federal government announced Tuesday that travelers arriving in Brazil did not have to produce a vaccine passport though they would have to undergo a five-day quarantine.- APIsraelIsraeli study finds Pfizer COVID-19 booster protects against OmicronIsraeli researchers said on Saturday they found that a three-shot course of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine provided significant protection against the new Omicron variant.The findings were similar to those presented by BioNTech and Pfizer earlier in the week, which were an early signal that booster shots could be key to protect against infection from the newly identified variant.The study, carried out by Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory, compared the blood of 20 people who had received two vaccine doses 5-6 months earlier to the same number of individuals who had received a booster a month before.- ReutersFranceFrance approves antibody therapy for high-risk Covid casesFrench health authorities have approved the use of an anti-body treatment made by AstraZeneca for high-risk people who show resistance to vaccines against coronavirus.The independent public health body HAS Friday night announced “a greenlight for the preventive use of Evusheld… for patients with a very high-risk of contracting a severe form of Covid-19”.Evusheld, developed by the British-Swedish pharma company, this week received emergency use authorisation in the United States for adults and children aged 12 and above.The French approval is for adults only.Evusheld, which is made from a combination of two monoclonal antibodies, is administered in two injections.- AFPNationalFinance ministry says Omicron likely to be a ‘less severe’ riskIndia’s economic recovery is expected to gain further strength in the second half of this year, following the 8.4% GDP growth recorded in Q2, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday, citing preliminary evidence that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may be a ‘less severe’ risk.Stressing that India is one of the few countries to record four consecutive quarters of growth amid COVID-19, the ministry said the country will catch up with pre-pandemic levels of economic activity for the full year of 2021-22.