Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca on Monday said that its coronavirus vaccine candidate showed an average efficacy of about 70%. It said that one dose regimen showed vaccine efficacy of 90% when given as half a dose, while another showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses. The combined analysis from both dosing regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70%, the company said.

After the announcement, Serum Institute of India Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said a minimum of 100 million doses of the vaccine will be available by January.

Meanwhile, India’s coronavirus tally rose to 91,39,865 on Monday morning as it reported 44,059 new cases in 24 hours. The toll rose by 511 to 1,33,738. As many as 85,62,641 people have recovered so far.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 5.85 crore people and killed 13,86,596, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 3.74 crore people have recovered from the infection.

The national helpline number for the coronavirus is 011-23978046, and a toll-free number is 1075.

These are the helpline numbers for states and the Union Territories.

Here are the top updates of the day

10.50 pm: Jammu and Kashmir register 351 fresh infections and 12 deaths, reports PTI.

10.48 pm: Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ tally rises to 4,656 with 15 new cases.

10.37 pm: Madhya Pradesh reports 1,701 new cases and 10 deaths.

9.59 pm: Delhi records 4,454 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours on Monday, pushing the city’s tally to 5,34,317. The toll rises to 8,512 with 121 more deaths.

9.56 pm: Ahmedabad reports 344 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the highest for a district in Gujarat, taking its tally to 47,653, reports PTI. With 13 more deaths, also the highest in the state, the number of fatalities in the city rises to 1,981.

9.54 pm: West Bengal reports 3,557 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, taking the state’s overall count to 4,59,918, reports ANI. The toll climbs to 8,072, after 47 people died in 24 hours.

9.52 pm: Haryana records 2,633 Covid-19 cases on Monday, pushing the state’s tally of infections to 2,19,963, ANI reports. The toll rises to 2,216 with 28 more deaths reported in 24 hours.

9.51 pm: Maharashtra’s tally of coronavirus cases rises to 17,84,361, after 4,153 new infections were recorded in 24 hours on Monday, reports ANI. The toll rises by 30 to 46,653.

9.49 pm: Mumbai records 800 new coronavirus cases on Monday, pushing the city’s tally to 2,76,507, ANI reports. The toll climbs to 10,687 with 14 more deaths.

9.47 pm: Himachal Pradesh’s tally of coronavirus cases rises to 34,781, with 454 new infections reported in 24 hours, reports ANI. The toll stands at 550.

8.05 pm: Serum Institute of India Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla tells NDTV that a minimum of 100 million doses of Covishield will be available by January and 100s of millions could be ready by the end of February. The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and drug manufacturer AstraZeneca has shown more than 70% overall efficacy in a third phase interim trial.

Poonawalla adds that around 40 million doses had already been produced and that the Centre would buy a large number of these doses for Rs 250 or less.

Also read: Oxford University coronavirus vaccine shows an average protection of 70% in trials

7.55 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain says that stubble burning has made the coronavirus situation worse in the national Capital and contributed to increased deaths.

“There was heavy pollution due to stubble-burning amid the Covid-19 pandemic and it came as a double attack,” Jain says, according to PTI. “Since the pollution due to stubble-burning is less now, the downtrend in deaths will be there in a few weeks.”

7.12 pm: At least five persons have died due to the coronavirus every hour on an average in Delhi in the last 24 hours, accounting for the largest chunk of such fatalities across India, which recorded an average of 21 deaths in this period, reports PTI.

7.07 pm: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asks Prime Minister Narendra Modi which coronavirus vaccine will India select and by when everyone would be vaccinated.

“The prime minister must tell the nation: Of all the Covid vaccine candidates, which will GOI [Government of India] choose and why? Who will get the vaccine first and what will be the distribution strategy,” Gandhi tweets.

The former Congress chief also questions, “Will PMCares fund be used to ensure free vaccination? By when will all Indians be vaccinated?”

7 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government has released new guidelines for holding wedding and other functions in the state amid the coronavirus crisis, reports the Hindustan Times.

According to the guidelines, the number of guests should be 50% of a wedding hall’s capacity, but the number is capped at maximum 100 for weddings. The organisers will have to mandatorily make arrangements for face masks, sanitisers and thermal scanners at the venue. The guests will also have to follow physical distancing norms. There is, however, no restriction on wedding music bands.

6.56 pm: More new cases and deaths in states, ANI reports.

  • Tamil Nadu: 1,624 new cases, total rises to 7,71,619. With 17 deaths, the toll is at 11,622.
  • Karnataka: 1,509 new cases, total rises to 8,74,555. With 24 deaths, the toll stands at 11,678.   
  • Andhra Pradesh: 545 new infections, total positive cases jumps to 8,62,758. With 10 more deaths, the toll is at 6,948.

5.55 pm: Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who was undergoing treatment at the Gauhati Medical College Hospital for post-coronavirus complications, has died, reports The Indian Express.

5.45 pm: The Maharashtra government says that those travelling from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa need to carry RT-PCR negative coronavirus test report to enter the state, reports ANI.

5.03 pm: In view of rising coronavirus cases, Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district caps number of people allowed in religious, social and cultural events to 250, reports Prasar Bharti News Services.

4.23 pm: Himachal Pradesh government imposes night curfew in Mandi, Shimla Kullu and Kangra, between November 24 and December 15, reports The Times of India. Only 50% class 3 and class 4 government employees will attend offices till December 31.

4.09 pm: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan distributes masks in Bhopal and makes public wear them to raise awareness about the coronavirus pandemic, reports ANI.

4.07 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting through video conferencing with chief ministers of states over the coronavirus situation on Tuesday, reports ANI.

4.05 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government reduces the maximum number of people allowed at any closed-door gathering to 100, or 50% of the capacity, from 200, reports ANI. It says that all Covid-19-related protocols need to be followed at the gathering.

4.01 pm: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Guwahati from Dibrugarh to be at the side of Congress leader Tarun Gogoi as his health condition has deteriorated. “He has always been a father figure to me,” he tweets. “I join millions in praying for his recovery.” Gogoi is in hospital for post-Covid complications. Doctors say his condition is “very critical”.

Read here: Former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi’s health condition ‘very critical’

3.57 pm: Indore administration limits the number of people allowed to gather at any religious, social or cultural event to 250 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports ANI.

3.54 pm: Maharashtra minister Vijay Waddetiwar says the state will take a call on whether to permit flights, train and road travel to Delhi within eight days, according to NDTV. “Along with Delhi, we are also looking at the condition in Gujarat,” adds the minister. “If Gujarat declares lockdown, then people will anyway not be able to come out of the state or go in.”

2.37 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain links the spike in mortality to high pollution levels being faced by patients in the Capital, reports News18. Delhi has reported more than 100 deaths for the last three days.

2.33 pm: Chinese authorities are testing millions of people, imposing lockdowns and shutting down schools after multiple locally-transmitted coronavirus cases were discovered in three cities across the country last week, reports AP.

2.30 pm: Students attend classes as National Post Graduate College in Lucknow reopens following the state government’s order to open universities and colleges with 50% occupancy, reports ANI.

2.23 pm: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hails the news about the Oxford vaccine as “incredibly exciting”. “There are still further safety checks ahead, but these are fantastic results,” he tweets. “Well done to our brilliant scientists at the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, and all who volunteered in the trials.”

2.20 pm: Serum Institute of India Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla says he is delighted to hear about the efficacy of Covishield, the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. He adds that further details on the vaccine will be provided in the evening. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is being made in partnership with the Serum Institute.

12.59 pm: Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca says its coronavirus vaccine candidate, developed with the University of Oxford, has shown an average efficacy of about 70%, Mint reports.

12.38 pm: The Delhi High Court refuses to hear a plea seeking lockdown in the Capital amid rising cases, ANI reports. “Is lockdown the only solution?” the court asks.

12.23 pm: Karnataka decides to not open schools in December, ANI reports.

11.24 am: Supreme Court seeks affidavit from Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Assam government on the steps taken by them with regard to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, reports ANI.

11.09 am: Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma tests positive for coronavirus, reports ANI. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot wishes him speedy recovery.

10.27 am: The authorities withdraw an order to close two markets in West Delhi till the end of the month over the violation of coronavirus safety guidelines, NDTV reports.

The Punjabi Basti market and the Janta market are situated in Nangloi area .

10.23 am: United Nations children’s agency UNICEF says it will ship nearly 2 billion [200 crore] doses of vaccines to developing countries in a “mammoth operation” next year, Reuters reports.

10.21 am: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Satish Dhupelia died of the coronavirus in Johannesburg on Sunday, according to PTI.

10.17 am: Russia says its Sputnik V vaccine will be cheaper than Moderna’s shot.

10.15 am: The district authorities in West Delhi on Sunday shut two markets in Nangloi area for violating COVID-19 safety guidelines, according to PTI.

9.27 am: Schools in some areas of rural Pune reopen, ANI reports.

9.23 am: India’s coronavirus tally rises to 91,39,865 as it reports 44,059 new cases in 24 hours. The toll rises by 511 to 1,33,738. As many as 85,62,641 people have recovered so far.

9.18 am: Here is a look at India’s testing figures till Sunday.

9.14 am: Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya tests positive for the coronavirus.

9.08 am: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that indigenous vaccine candidate Covaxin, being developed by Bharat Biotech, could complete its final trials in a month or two, Reuters reports.

“We are in the process of developing our indigenous vaccines, in the process of completing our third-phase trials in the next one or two months,” Harsh Vardhan said.

9.06 am: Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  1. India registered 45,209 new coronavirus cases, taking the country’s tally to 90,95,806. The toll rose to 1,33,227 with 501 more deaths. The number of active cases stood at 4,40,962. So far, 85,21,617 people have recovered from the disease.
  2. The Centre decided to send high-level teams to Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to support the states in their pandemic response and management. These states have been either reporting a rise in the number of active cases, the health ministry said.
  3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the 15th G20 summit convened by Saudi Arabia, called the pandemic an important event in human history. The prime minister called for decisive action that should not be restricted to economic recovery, trade, jobs, and focus on the planet’s preservation.
  4. Drug manufacturer Moderna’s vaccine against the coronavirus will be priced between $25 (approximately Rs 1,854) and $37 (approximately Rs 2,744) per dose, depending on the amount ordered by governments, company’s Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said.
  5. The number of infections in the world stood at more than 5.80 crore, while more than 13.7 lakh people have died due to the pandemic, according to John Hopkins University data. There have also been 3,71,78,689 recoveries.