Coronavirus India Updates: Tally Tops 12 Lakh; Deaths Inch Towards 30,000

The high prevalence of Covid-19 infections in Mumbai and Pune will help test the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, its local manufacturer Serum Institute of India has said.

By end of August, between 4,000 to 5,000 people in Pune and Mumbai will be injected with the vaccine as part of trials that are scheduled to last over two months, SII said.

Oxford University has reported satisfactory progress from the vaccines test results and is conducting bigger field tests in the UK. In India, it has chosen SII as manufacturing partner, which has to conduct field trials before getting the final nod to ensure they are safe and effective for Indians.

While Pune district has over 59,000 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, Mumbai has 1.03 lakh such cases. Both the cities account for almost half the positive cases in Maharashtra and over a 10th of the cases in India.

There are a number of trial sites across both Mumbai and Pune that we have shortlisted, as these cities have many hotspots, which will help us understand the efficacy of the vaccine, the company’s chief executive Adar Poonawalla told PTI in an email interview.

He said the company aims to commence the crucial phase-3 of the trials of the vaccine christened as Covishield in India by August after getting the necessary permissions from the Drug Controller General of India.

"The Indian regulatory authorities have aided us in fast-tracking approvals keeping in mind the requisite guidelines of safety and efficacy, Poonawalla said.

We do not want to rush and would focus only on delivering a viable and effective product for the masses, he said. His father and company chairman Cyrus Poonawalla had on Tuesday said SII is aiming to sell the vaccine for under Rs 1,000 per dose in India.

Source: PTI

The Covid-19 death toll in West Bengal mounted to 1,221 as it reported the worst daily spike of 39 fatalities on Wednesday, the health department said. The state also recorded 2,291 fresh infections, pushing the tally to 49,321, it said in a bulletin.

Of the 39 deaths, 15 were reported from Kolkata, 11 from North 24 Parganas, three each from Hooghly and South 24 Parganas, two from Howrah, and one each from Darjeeling, Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur, Purba Medinipur and Paschim Bardhaman districts.

The number of active cases in the state stands at 18,450. The bulletin added that 1,615 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours.

Of the new infections, Kolkata accounted for 692 cases, so far the highest in a day.

Source: PTI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur tested negative for Covid-19 on Wednesday night, a senior official said.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) RD Dhiman said Thakur's sample was taken for testing after a deputy secretary in his office was found positive for the virus.

Thakur's test result came out negative around 9 pm, Dhiman said, adding the chief minister's wife and two other family members have also tested negative for the virus.

Earlier in the day, after the deputy secretary tested positive for the virus, Thakur told media, "As per the coronavirus protocol, I am going to quarantine myself." He had then quarantined himself at his official residence at Oakover here.

Dhiman told PTI that 63 samples were taken for testing, including of the CM, his staff and security personnel posted at his residence, and of officials and other staff posted at his office at the state secretariat.

While the results of the CM and his family members were received Wednesday night, the rest would be available in the morning, Dhiman said.

Source: PTI

A Cabinet minister in Madhya Pradesh government has tested positive for COVID19. He took part in state Cabinet meeting yesterday and also attended the last rites ceremony of Governor Lalji Tandon. He has been admitted to a hospital in Bhopal.

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2020

Global Update

The world topped 15 million Covid-19 infections. California set a daily record and topped New York as the U.S. state with the most confirmed cases, while deaths in Texas reached a new high. Brazil also set a record for new cases. The virus tightened its grip on the Asia Pacific region, with deaths reaching a daily high in Indonesia and infections hitting records in Hong Kong and Japan. Cases also set a record in Australia, once hailed as a virus success story.

Track all updates around the Covid-19 virus outbreak in India, here.