In 2022, 92% of COVID deaths have been in unvaccinated individuals, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr. Balram Bhargava said on Thursday. He added that it’s evident that vaccines and the wide vaccination coverage have played a very important role in protecting hundreds of lives.
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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 updates
Third Covid vaccine dose advised for immunocompromised people: study
A third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for people with a weakened immune system, especially for organ transplant recipients who are least able to make antibodies to fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study.
The research, published in The BMJ, reinforces the importance of additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to protect people with a weakened immune system. - PTI
Singapore allows quarantine-free travelling from all Indian cities
Vaccinated air travellers from all Indian cities and from Penang in Malaysia and Bali in Indonesia will be able to enter Singapore without having to undergo any mandatory quarantine from March 16, a senior minister announced on Friday.
Transport Minister S Iswaran said Singapore plans to press on with the safe reopening of its borders and reclaim its position as a global business and aviation hub.
The Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) for India will be extended beyond Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai to include all cities in India, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said.
Likewise, vaccinated air travellers will be able to enter Singapore from more cities in Malaysia and Indonesia without having to serve quarantine. The VTL extension to cities in these countries is from March 16 this year. - AP
Only 5% of fully vaccinated Omicron patients needed hospitalization, data in Mumbai shows
Only five per cent of the fully vaccinated persons who caught the Omicron variant infection in Mumbai needed hospitalization, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) latest sample data.
On the other hand, among those who had not taken a single dose of anti-coronavirus vaccines and who were infected with Omicron, more than 17 per cent had to be hospitalized. - PTI
South Korea eases distancing despite record virus deaths
South Korean officials announced an easing of social distancing restrictions even as the country saw its deadliest day of the pandemic on Friday, reflecting reduced political capacity to deal with a fast-developing omicron surge in the face of a growing economic toll and a presidential election next week.
Jeon Hae-cheol, minister of the interior and safety, said the curfew at restaurants, bars, movie theatres and other indoor businesses will be extended by an hour from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. starting Saturday. He cited people’s fatigue and frustration with extended restrictions and the damage to livelihoods. -AP
Active COVID-19 cases in country dip to 69,897
With 6,396 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,29,51,556, while the active cases dipped to 69,897, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 5,14,589 with 201 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The daily COVID-19 cases have remained less than one lakh for 26 consecutive days.
The active cases comprise 0.16% of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.64%, the ministry said. A reduction of 7,255 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded as 0.69% and the weekly positivity rate as 0.90%, according to the ministry. -PTI
France to drop vaccine pass as Covid situation improves: PM
Object previewFrance will this month end most Covid-19 restrictions and scrap its vaccine pass for eating out or attending cultural events, the prime minister said on Friday.
After the surge in cases caused by the Omicron variant, the health situation has improved over the last weeks with less pressure on hospitals, Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a statement.
He said that from March 14 the vaccine pass -- proving that someone has been triple vaccinated against Covid-19 -- will no longer be needed. -AFP
