Coronavirus: Nearly 7.4 crore Indians were infected by August, says ICMR’s national sero survey

10.32 pm: Nearly 7% of India’s population aged ten and above, or about 7.4 crore people were exposed to the coronavirus infection by August, shows the second nationwide sero survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

According to the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, serology tests are “those that look for antibodies in blood”. “If antibodies are found, that means there has been a previous infection,” it says. “However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold.”

9.20 pm: Gujarat records 1,560 new cases in the last 24 hours, in the highest single-day spike so far. The total tally now stands at 2,03,509, reports PTI. The toll goes up to 3,922, with 16 new deaths. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani says there is no plan to impose any day- time curfew or lockdown in the state, reports PTI.

9.18 pm: Mumbai records 1,147 new cases of coronavirus, as the tally goes up to 2,79,737, while the toll rises to 10,739 with 16 new deaths, reports PTI.

9.14 pm: Tamil Nadu records new coronavirus cases, taking the overall infection count to 7,76,174, while 14 more fatalities pushed the toll to 11,669, reports PTI.

9.11 pm: Drug manufacturer Serum Institute of India says the potential coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University is safe and effective, according to PTI. The Pune-based company says the Indian trials of the vaccine are progressing smoothly with strict adherence to all protocols.

7.57 pm: Saurabh Rao, divisional commissioner of Pune, says ambassadors of 100 countries are scheduled to visit the city on December 4, reports ANI. They will visit Serum Institute of India and Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Limited, he adds.

7.55 pm: Maharashtra reports 6,406 new coronavirus infections, taking the total count to 18,02,365, reports PTI. The toll rises to 46,813 with 65 fatalities.

7.50 pm: Delhi reports 5,475 new coronavirus cases and 91 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to ANI. With this, the national Capital has total 5,51,262 cases and the toll jumps to 8,811. As many as 5,03,717 people have recovered from the infection.

6.21 pm: Kerala records 5,378 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, reports ANI. There are currently 64,486 active cases in the state.

6.17 pm: Schools in Delhi are likely to remain shut till there is a vaccine available for coronavirus, says Health Minister Satyendar Jain, according to the Hindustan Times.

6.14 pm: The entire population of the national Capital can be vaccinated in a month if hospital staff and nurses are involved, says Delhi’s State Immunisation Officer Suresh Seth, according to PTI.

4.46 pm: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, who tested positive for the coronavirus, has been admitted to Max Hospital and his stable, says his office, according to ANI.

4.37 pm: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot stresses on the need to increase coronavirus testing in rural areas of the state, reports PTI. He also directs officials to intensify awareness programmes on the coronavirus.

4.33 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday visit the Serum Institute of India in Pune, which has partnered with drug manufacturer AstraZeneca and the Oxford University for a coronavirus vaccine, reports PTI.

4.29 pm: The Arvind Kejriwal government tells the Delhi High Court that a night curfew to rein in the coronavirus pandemic is under “active consideration”, reports NDTV. This came after the court questioned the government about the measures being implemented to control the daily rise in new coronavirus cases, which had mostly stayed above 6,000 over the last week.

Meanwhile, the court says that the police and the authorities concerned should avoid collecting fines in cash for violation of coronavirus norms and that the government should create a portal for the same, according to PTI.

3.27 pm: West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim expresses his willingness to volunteer for the Covaxin Phase III trial scheduled to be held at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases in Kolkata, reports PTI.

2.45 pm: The Uttarakhand government bars devotees from taking a dip in the Ganga river in Haridwar on the occasion of Kartik Purnima on November 30, in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI.

2.42 pm: The Union health ministry says that 60.72% of the 44,489 new Covid-19 cases registered in 24 hours have been contributed by six states and Union Territories, with Kerala leading the tally followed by Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, reports PTI.

Meanwhile, 60.50% of the 524 latest fatalities are concentrated in six states and Union territories– Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

2.38 pm: The Uttarakhand government revises the rates for getting an RT-PCR test in government and private labs to Rs 850 and Rs 900, respectively, reports ANI. The tests were earlier priced between Rs 1,400 to 1,650.

2.33 pm: Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das tells a virtual gathering at the 4th Foreign Exchange Dealers’ Association of India Annual Day that inputs from market players and stakeholders has helped the central bank undertake a slew of measures to contain the economic impact of the pandemic on financial markets, reports ANI.

2.31 pm: The Delhi High Court asks the Aam Aadmi Party-led government to explain what kind of protocols are in place to ensure that 50 person cap on wedding attendees is enforced, reports PTI. It also directs the government to avoid cash transactions while collecting fines for violating Covid-19 norms, and instead create a portal for it.

12.44 pm: Robert Koch Institute shows Germany registered 22,268 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally in the country to 983,588, according to Reuters. The toll goes up by 389 to 15,160.

12.42 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath imposes Section 144 in state capital Lucknow to prevent the second wave of the coronavirus, reports News18. The prohibitory orders will remain in force till December 1.

12.40 pm: Officials say seven people coming from Delhi to Noida tested positive during the random Covid-19 test at Gautam Buddh Nagar’s border on Wednesday, reports PTI.

12.36 pm: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath warns officials against harassments in the name of coronavirus, saying that strict action will be taken if any complaints are received, reports PTI. The chief minister clarifies that there is no need to take permission for the police or the administration for organising wedding functions.

12.32 pm: Puducherry reports 22 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the Union territory to 36,840, according to PTI. The toll remains at 609 as no deaths were registered. There are 544 active cases and 35,687 recoveries.

12.28 pm: Delhi High Court adjourns hearing till December 9 the petition against the Aam Aadmi Party government’s decision to reserve 80% intensive care unit beds in 33 private hospitals for Covid-19 patients, reports ANI.

12.22 pm: Ministry of Health says 61% of daily new cases contributed by Kerala, Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. It adds 60.5% of the 524 fatalities in the last 24 hours were reported from Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

12.10 pm: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation extends international flight ban till December 31 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The aviation body says that the ban would not apply to international all-cargo operations and the flights it has approved.

11.16 am: The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district goes up to 42,757 after 111 new infections were logged on Thursday, reports PTI.

11.13 am: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai tests positive.

11.10 am: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain says the Capitals’s positivity rate has come down to 8.5% in the last three weeks, reports ANI. “A vaccine will hopefully soon be out,” he adds. Jain says that until the administration is convinced that the situation is under control, no schools in Delhi will reopen.

11.03 am: Six Pakistani cricketers have tested positive for Covid-19, the New Zealand Cricket says, alleging a breach of the bio-secure protocol by the players, reports PTI. All six members of the squad will be moved to the quarantine arm of a managed isolation facility.

The Pakistani cricket team is in Auckland for three T20 Internationals and two Test matches. The series begins from December 18.

“Two of these six results have been deemed ‘historical’; four have been confirmed as new,” the NZC said in a statement without revealing the names of the players. “As a consequence, the Pakistan team’s exemption to train while in managed isolation has been put on hold until investigations have been completed.”

9.40 am: The World Health Organization says that the coronavirus pandemic is not an excuse to not getting enough exercise, reports AFP. The world health body warns that even before the outbreak many were getting very little physical activity.

9.30 am: The United States has registered more than 2,400 deaths from coronavirus in 24 hours, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. This is the highest daily toll in six months as Thanksgiving began, reports AFP.

9.20 am: India’s tally has reached 92,66,705 with 44,489 new infections. There are 4,52,344 active cases, 8,67,9,138 recoveries. The toll goes up by 524 to 1,35,223.

9.15 am: The Centre has initiated a Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing and delivery ecosystem to cater to the demand, reports PTI, citing Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

9.10 am: In Uttarakhand, the maximum permissible cost for the Rapid Antigen Test across laboratories has been fixed at Rs 679, reports ANI.

9.05 am: A total of 13,516 persons (0.24%) of the 5.73 million tested during the Delhi government’s ongoing door-to-door survey, were found to have symptoms of Covid-19 till Tuesday, while 1,178 persons have tested positive for the disease, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. The survey is likely to conclude on Thursday.

9 am: Drug maker AstraZeneca and Oxford University have acknowledged a manufacturing error that is raising concern about the preliminary results of their experimental vaccine, reports Hindustan Times.

Here are the top updates from Wednesday:

1. India’s coronavirus count rose to 92,22,216 as it reported 44,376 new cases in 24 hours. The country’s toll rose by 481 to 1,34,699. India’s active cases stood at 4,44,746, while the recoveries reached 86,42,771.
2. In a fresh set of guidelines for surveillance, containment and caution, the Ministry of Home Affairs asked states to consult before imposing lockdowns at state, district, sub-division or city levels. The states are however allowed to impose local restrictions like night curfews.
3. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh imposed a 15-day night curfew in all cities and towns from December 1. He also doubled the fine for not wearing masks and flouting guidelines.
4. China’s leading vaccine producer China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) said it has applied with the country’s regulators to market its Covid-19 vaccine.
5. The United States announced its plans to distribute 6.4 million (64 lakh) doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the first week after it is cleared for emergency use, which is likely next month.