Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates | Travel Will Be Allowed Only Up To 50% Seating Capacity Inside Delhi Metro

Live now December 28, 2021 / 06:03 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates | “For those Health Care Workers (HCWs) & Frontline Workers (FLWs) who have received two doses, another dose of COVID-19 vaccine would be provided from January 10,” the ministry said in its guidelines. Coronavirus Omicron India LIVE Updates | Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will discuss the existing COVID-19 situation with top officials at a high-level meeting on Tuesday during which a decision is also likely to be taken on implementing the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi, officials sources said. The chief minister will chair the meeting at 12 noon. It will discuss the rising number of COVID-19 cases and threat posed by its new variant Omicron. Besides, the meeting may decide on sounding the ‘Yellow’ alert and restrictions according to the GRAP, according to the sources.BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been admitted to hospital after having tested positive for COVID-19. “BCCI President and former India captain Sourav Ganguly admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19,” PTI has quoted BCCI sources as saying.India has reported as many as 653 Omicron cases across 21 states and union territories in India so far and 186 of these people have recovered or migrated, Union health ministry said on December 28.Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of Omicron cases at 167, followed by Delhi at 165, Kerala 57, Telangana 55, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 46, Tamil Nadu 34 and Karnataka 31. According to the Union Health Ministry, 1.11 crore people have received two doses in India so far. (Representational image) Moneycontrol.com 05:56 PM IST Gujarat govt to set up COVID-19 vaccination camps at schools   03:20 PM IST Biological E aims to produce 100 million doses/month of Corbevax from February 2022 03:17 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | COVID-19 restrictions under Yellow alert of Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi: Night curfew 10pm-5am, Delhi Metro, restaurants, bars to operate at 50% capacity; Cinema halls,spas,gyms,multiplexes, banquet halls, auditoriums & sports complexes to be closed,with immediate effect 03:00 PM IST Precautionary dose different from boosters, mixing vaccines unlikely 02:51 PM IST Sourav Ganguly admitted to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 02:40 PM IST Cipla gets EUA from DCGI to market Molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatment 02:30 PM IST Covovax approval to strengthen immunization efforts in India, lower & middle income countries: SII 01:46 PM IST Yellow alert sounded in Delhi, restrictions will be imposed accordingly: Arvind Kejriwal 01:39 PM IST Total number of Omicron cases in Delhi rises to 165: Govt data 01:20 PM IST South Africa study suggests Omicron enhances neutralizing immunity against Delta 01:10 PM IST Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik asks officials to prepare for COVID third wave on war-footing 01:00 PM IST COVID-19 booster dose: Centre in talks with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals to test mRNA vaccine 12:53 PM IST Chinese city records 175 local infections 12:41 PM IST Arvind Kejriwal to hold high-level meet on COVID-19 situation in Delhi: Sources 12:34 PM IST Union Health Ministry issues guidelines for COVID19 vaccination of children between 15-18 years 11:50 AM IST TMC MP Derek O’Brien tested positive for COVID-19 11:46 AM IST Corbevax, Covovax, Molnupiravir approved for restricted emergency use against COVID-19 11:32 AM IST India approves 2 Covid vaccines, 1 covid pill in a single day 10:55 AM IST Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine behind lower Covid deaths in UK, says expert  10:37 AM IST Maharashtra records maximum number of Omicron cases, India’s total tally at 653 10:18 AM IST Arvind Kejriwal to hold high-level meet on COVID-19 situation in Delhi: Sources 10:01 AM IST BCCI President Sourav Ganguly tests positive for COVID-19 10:01 AM IST 2nd COVID-19 wave, Omicron emergence kept Maharashtra health sector on tenterhooks in 2021 09:53 AM IST Rise in Covid-19 cases: Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel makes surprise visit to hospital  09:40 AM IST Kerala govt imposes night curfew from December 30-January 2 09:30 AM IST 28 students among 31 more test COVID-19 positive in Ahmednagar school 09:27 AM IST India Omicron tally surges to 653; Maharashtra tops with 167 cases 09:21 AM IST Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to hold a high-level review meeting today on the prevailing COVID19 situation. 09:20 AM IST Andhra Pradesh may need 75 lakh booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine-officials 09:18 AM IST Three more test positive for Omicron in Uttarakhand, number rises to four 08:30 AM IST Cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India reach 142.38 crore: Govt 08:20 AM IST China local symptomatic COVID cases rises for a 4th day as Xian outbreak expands 08:10 AM IST Ramp up vaccination in 5 poll bound states, says Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a high-level meeting 08:00 AM IST No. of Covid cases to increase in Delhi in next two months; peak likely in Feb: Experts 07:52 AM IST 3,481 kids orphaned during Covid pandemic to get benefits under PM CARES for Children scheme 07:41 AM IST Denmark, Iceland report record Covid cases as Omicron surges 07:30 AM IST Centre issues guidelines for children aged 15-18, precaution doses 07:26 AM IST Haryana reports two more Omicron cases; tally mounts to 12 07:25 AM IST Mumbai sees 809 COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths; active tally now 4,765 December 28, 2021 / 08:01 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Andhra Pradesh logs 141 fresh COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday reported 141 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the cumulative infections to 20,76,687, while the toll rose to 14,492 with two more fatalities. Active cases stood at 1,073, a health department bulletin said, providing details of the last 24 hours ending 9 AM today.  December 28, 2021 / 06:02 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | In view of the Covid19 guidelines, travel will be allowed only up to 50% seating capacity inside the trains. No standing passenger will be allowed. Entry into Metro stations will be regulated by restricting the number of gates to ensure compliance with the guidelines. Out of 712 metro gates, only 444 will be kept open as of now : DMRC, Delhi December 28, 2021 / 05:56 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Gujarat govt to set up COVID-19 vaccination camps at schools The Gujarat government will set up camps at schools to inoculate as many as 35 lakh children in the 15 to 18 years age group, a senior official said here on Tuesday. Online registration for vaccination will start from January 1.As per the guidelines issued by the Union Health Ministry, children in this age group will receive only Covaxin doses. “Online registration will begin from January 1, but on-site registration is also available. We will approach schools in coordination with the education department to cover an estimated 34-35 lakh beneficiaries,” said Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Manoj Aggarwal. December 28, 2021 / 05:22 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Ban New Year eve celebrations, revellry as Omicron threat looms large: AIADMKThe Puducherry unit of the AIADMK on Tuesdaty urged the Chief Minister of the Union Territory N Rangasamy to ban New Year eve celebrations here as there was possibility of a fast-spreading Omicron, a new variant of Covid-19. Secretary of the east wing of the AIADMK Anbalagan submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Chief Minister today. “We should not eye the revenue to the Exchequer alone but should have concern for the health of the people,” the AIADMK leader said and referred to the ban on the celebrations in neighbouring States. December 28, 2021 / 03:32 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | All persons aged 60yrs&above with co-morbidities will not be required to produce/submit any certificate from the doctor, at the time of administration of precaution dose: Union Health Ministry December 28, 2021 / 03:20 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Biological E aims to produce 100 million doses/month of Corbevax from February 2022Biological E. Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine Corbevax per month, anticipating over 100 million doses per month from February 2022 which will enable the city-based company to deliver 300 Million doses as promised to the Centre, BE said on Tuesday. Corbevax, India’s first indigenously developed protein sub-unit vaccine against the virus, received the approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) today, it said.According to a press release issued by the vaccine maker soon, the company plans to deliver more than one billion additional doses globally. ”Biological E. Limited plans to complete production at a rate of 75 million doses per month, anticipating over 100 million doses per month from February 2022. These capacities will enable the Hyderabad-based company to deliver 300 Million doses as promised to the Government of India,” it said.The vaccine has been developed by Biological E. Limited in collaboration with the Texas Children’s Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development (Texas Children’s CVD) and Baylor College of Medicine (Baylor) in Houston, Texas. Mahima Datla, Managing Director, BE limited said, ”Over the years, we have worked to make quality vaccines and pharmaceutical products accessible to families around the world. With this as our backdrop, we resolved to develop an affordable and effective COVID-19 vaccine. It has now become a reality.Corbevax has completed two Phase III clinical trials involving more than 3000 subjects between the ages of 18 and 80 at 33 study sites across India. The vaccine was found to be safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic, the company said. In the pivotal Phase III study conducted with an endpoint of immunogenic superiority, Corbevax demonstrated superior immune response in comparison with the Covishield vaccine when assessed for Neutralizing Antibody (nAb) Geometric Mean Titers (GMT) against the Ancestral-Wuhan strain and the globally dominant Delta variant, the release said.”Our scientists at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are thrilled to help in the development of this vaccine, possibly the first covid vaccine specifically designed for global health,” Peter Hotez, professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development said. December 28, 2021 / 03:17 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | COVID-19 restrictions under Yellow alert of Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi: Night curfew 10pm-5am, Delhi Metro, restaurants, bars to operate at 50% capacity; Cinema halls,spas,gyms,multiplexes, banquet halls, auditoriums & sports complexes to be closed,with immediate effect December 28, 2021 / 03:00 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Precautionary dose different from boosters, mixing vaccines unlikelyThe central government may opt for prescribing the same Covid-19 vaccine — that was given for the first and second dose — as the precautionary dose due to lack of data on vaccine mixing in India, a top bureaucrat has said. While there is not much evidence right now in India that mixing of Covid-19 vaccines, especially Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin works, a separate deliberation is going on regarding booster doses for the adult population which is different from the precautionary dose, the official told News18.com.However, the official insisted that it is still under deliberation and the final decision will be taken “anytime soon”. “We need to keep this in mind that our Prime Minister has named the dose as ‘precautionary’ and not booster doses. The panels are still deliberating over boosters for other population,” said the government official from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “Precautionary dose is the third dose or additional dose which doctors and medical practitioners can prescribe to people who are frail. In most likelihood, it is going to be the same vaccine. The discussions are still on, but no final call has been taken yet.” December 28, 2021 / 02:51 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Sourav Ganguly admitted to hospital after testing positive for COVID-19BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has been admitted to a city hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 but the former India captain is “stable”, the medical institution, where he is undergoing treatment, said on Tuesday. Ganguly, who is double vaccinated, was rushed to Woodlands Hospital on Monday evening as a precautionary measure after his RT-PCR test returned positive. The 49-year-old Ganguly had undergone an emergency angioplasty earlier this year and given the history, a panel of the doctors is keeping a close watch on his health status.”He received Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail therapy on the same night and is currently haemodynamically stable,” Dr Rupali Basu, MD & CEO of Woodlands Hospital, said in a statement. “A medical board comprising Dr Saroj Mondal, Dr Saptarshi Basu and Dr Soutik Panda in consultation with Dr Devi Shetty and Dr Aftab Khan is keeping a close watch on his health status,” Basu added. Ganguly has been travelling extensively, taking part in all professional activities. His elder brother Snehasish had also tested positive for COVID early this year. December 28, 2021 / 02:40 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Cipla gets EUA from DCGI to market Molnupiravir for COVID-19 treatmentDrug major Cipla on Tuesday said it has received emergency use authorisation (EUA) permission from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to launch antiviral drug Molnupiravir in the country to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19. The Mumbai-based firm said it plans to launch Molnupiravir under the brand name Cipmolnu.”This launch is yet another step in our endeavour to enable access to all treatments in COVID care. We continue to be guided by the power of science to address the unmet needs of patients across the globe and bring care closer to the patients,” Cipla MD and Global CEO Umang Vohra said in a statement. Earlier during the year, Cipla entered into a non-exclusive voluntary licensing agreement with Merck Sharpe Dohme (MSD) to manufacture and supply Molnupiravir in India and to over 100 low and middle-income countries (LMICs).The regulatory approval comes on the back of a five-month collaborative trial conducted by a consortium of companies. Molnupiravir is the first oral antiviral approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk of developing severe disease.Molnupiravir inhibits the replication of multiple RNA viruses including SARS-CoV-2. Cipla said it will soon make Cipmolnu 200mg capsules available at all leading pharmacies and COVID treatment centers across the country. The company has adequate manufacturing capacities and a solid distribution mechanism in place to ensure speedy access to this effective treatment pan India, it added. December 28, 2021 / 02:30 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Covovax approval to strengthen immunization efforts in India, lower & middle income countries: SIIVaccine major Serum Institute of India (SII) on Tuesday said the approval for the COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covovax’ would strengthen immunization initiatives across India and various lower and middle income countries (LMICs) across the world. “The approval of Covovax by DCGI is a significant milestone in strengthening our immunization efforts across India and LMICs. We are proud to deliver a highly-effective protein-based COVID-19 vaccine of more than 90 per cent efficacy rate, based on clinical data demonstrating a favorable safety profile.“We are certain that as the repertoire of the COVID-19 vaccine increases, we will be poised strongly to save the lives of millions of people against the pandemic,” SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said in a statement. He was responding to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s announcement that the Central Drug Authority, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), has approved the SII’s vaccine Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations.Covovax is produced by Pune-based SII under licence from US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc. In August 2020, Novavax Inc had announced a licence agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in low and middle-income countries and India. December 28, 2021 / 02:24 PM IST Coronavirus Omicron LIVE Updates | Today there’re only a few cases of Omicron. Is BJP conspiring to postpone elections? There’re many speculations. Election Commission’s credibility as an independent institution is suspicious nowadays as they  attended a meeting called by PMO: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel