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According to data from the Union Ministry of Health, daily Covid-19 cases in India remained below 5,000 on Saturday, with 3,614 people testing positive in the past 24 hours.
Covid Latest News Today: As India reports another low in terms of daily coronavirus cases today, several parts of the world are reporting another surge in Covid19 cases. For its part, the WHO has repeatedly said that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. From the latest update from the Ministry of Health to new Covid clusters in China, Hong Kong, here are the top 10 coronavirus developments you need to know today:
India has also delivered 179.9 crore vaccine doses, including 91.9 crore first doses and 77.8 crore second doses, according to the latest reports.
Here are the latest coronavirus updates of the day:
CHINA CITY UNDER LOCKDOWN
China’s ‘zero Covid’ approach to the pandemic has resulted in the Changchun government in the country’s northeast being ordered to shut down after a recent spurt in cases. The city’s nine million residents have been ordered to work from home. The government has also announced that it will begin mass testing soon.
Changchun, in northeast China, is the capital of Jilin Province and an important industrial base. China’s Covid-19 cases exceeded 1,000 this week for the first time since the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
CENTER REJECTS CLAIMS THAT DEATH IS EIGHT TIMES HIGHER
A study in the Lancet magazine has claimed that estimated cumulative additional deaths from the pandemic were highest between January 2020 and December 2021 at 4.07 million, eight times higher than reported. However, the Union Department of Health has called the analysis “speculative and misinformed,” adding that the authors admitted several methodological errors and inconsistencies.
AMERICAN CONGRESSEMBERS URGE VACCINE COOPERATION WITH INDIA
The US Congressional Hispanic Caucus has urged President Joe Biden to start a vaccine partnership with India to end the pandemic. In a letter dated March 10, Caucus members asked the US to direct the distribution of low-cost vaccines to low-income countries with low vaccination coverage. They urged Biden to use the two vaccines resulting from collaborations between India and the US and end the inequality in vaccines through Covovax and Corbevax.
mRNA VACCINE
Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, which is developing India’s first mRNA vaccine, has submitted final study data to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), reports suggest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during his speech at the recent 76th United Nations General Assembly that the vaccine was in its final stages.
NO COVID-19 KILLS IN TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu reported zero Covid-19 deaths on Friday and the cases also gradually decreased, Health Minister Dr J Radhakrishnan said. However, he warned that people should continue to follow all safety protocols until the next advice from health experts. He also appealed to the residents of Tamil Nadu to get their vaccine doses.
PM CALLS FOR POLICE SERVICE DURING COVID-19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in Gandhinagar, praised the police for their service to people during the pandemic. “We have seen that during the Covid pandemic, many police officers in uniform gave food and medicine to the needy during the lockdown. People saw the humane face of the police,” he said.
THIRD OF OUR CHILD COVID-19 DEATH FROM OMICRON
One-third of all infant deaths from Covid-19 in the US occurred during the Omicron wave. Children appeared to be at increasing risk of contracting the virus, even as mask mandates in the US are scrapped and childhood vaccination rates are high. Since early 2022, 550 children in the US have died from Covid-19, up from 1,017 in the previous 22 months, data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.