Coronavirus Updates: Bharat Biotech's Covaxin Approval Requested in US for Ages 2-18, India Records 10,929 New Cases in 24 Hrs

Coronavirus Updates: India reported 10,929 new Covid cases, 392 deaths and 12,509 recoveries in the last 24 hours; active caseload stands at 1,46,950. The tally of total vaccination stands at 1,07,92,19,546. According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) 61,39,65,751 samples tested for COVID19 up to 5th November 2021. Of these, 8,10,783 samples were tested yesterday.

Earlier today, At least ten patients died out of 17 Covid positive patients who were admitted in the Ahmednagar Civil Hospital on Saturday after a massive fire ripped through the ICU. Four fire tenders were rushed to battle the blaze which was spreading to other adjoining wards with attempts underway to control the flames and shift the patients from the affected areas.

According to eyewitnesses, there were at least 20 patients undergoing treatment in the ICU and scores of relatives rushed to the hospital for details on their near and dear ones. Senior police, district and fire brigade officials have reached the spot and are supervising the rescue and relief operations. More details on the incident is awaited.

Meanwhile, US company Ocugen announced on Friday that it had asked authorities for emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin, which was developed in India, for ages 2 to 18. Ocugen’s data, gathered from clinical trials conducted outside of the United States with only a small group of children, may not be enough for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant the request.

Covaxin, developed in India by Ocugen’s partner, Bharat Biotech, gained emergency approval from the World Health Organization on Wednesday and has already been cleared for use in 17 countries.

Just as the United Kingdom delayed the acceptance of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Canada too is yet to accept India made vaccine despite WHO’s approval for emergency use. According to a spokesperson at the Canadian High Commission, the list of approved vaccines for Canada include Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. A media report states that the timing of completion of Health Canada’s review depends on several factors like additional data, discussion with sponsors and safety information.

On Friday, India recorded a single-day spike of 12,729 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 3,43,33,754. The current tally of active cases stands at 1,48,922. The death count due to the infection rose to 4,59,873, with 221 daily deaths being recorded, according to recent data. The total tally of people who have recovered so far is at to 3,37,24,959.

West Bengal, on the other hand, recorded 763 fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday, 155 less than the previous day’s figure, while the number of fresh fatalities also dropped marginally from 14 on November 4 to 13, according to a health department bulletin. The state’s Covid-19 death toll went up to 19,201 with 13 fatalities while 763 new cases pushed the tally to 15,97,095.

Kolkata accounted for four deaths during the day, while North and South 24 Parganas reported three fatalities each. The remaining deaths were recorded in other districts, the bulletin said. Of the 763 new infections, Kolkata registered the highest at 203, followed by North 24 Parganas (145) and South 24 Parganas (68). The respective figures on Thursday were 228, 156 and 77.

The number of active cases was 8,137, as against 8,193 on Thursday. In the last 24 hours, 806 recoveries were reported as the discharge rate was recorded to be at 98.29 per cent. So far, 15,69,757 people have recovered from the disease in the state. The positivity rate was recorded at 2.53 per cent.

Since Thursday, 30,212 samples were tested for coronavirus in West Bengal, which took the total number of such examinations to 1,94,09,097, the bulletin said. Meanwhile, 3,65,253 Covid vaccine doses were administered in the state in the last 24 hours taking the total number of people getting at least one dose to over 8 crore, a senior health department official said.

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