New Delhi: The Union health ministry on Monday dismissed media reports alleging that expired vaccines are being administered in the country under its COVID-19 vaccination programme as “false and misleading”.

“There have been some media reports alleging that expired vaccines are being administered in India under its national COVID-19 vaccination programme. This is false and misleading and based on incomplete information,” the ministry said in a statement.

On October 25, 2021, in response to Bharat Biotech International Limited’s letter, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) approved the extension of the shelf life of Covaxin (Whole Virion, Inactivated Coronavirus Vaccine) from nine months to 12 months, the ministry said.

Similarly, the shelf life of Covishield was extended by the drug regulator from six months to 9 months on February 22, 2021.

The shelf life of vaccines is extended by the CDSCO on the basis of a comprehensive analysis and examination of the stability study data furnished by the vaccine manufacturers, the ministry said.

New Delhi: Vaccination of children in the 15-18 age group against COVID-19 began on Monday as inoculation centres across the country started administering the shots to the younger population.

The process to vaccinate children has commenced amid a scare of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

In Delhi, where daily cases have registered a record surge in the last few days, vaccination centres at Fortis hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and other facilities began administering the jabs to younger population, officials said.

The vaccine option for this age group would only be Covaxin, according to guidelines issued by the Union health ministry on December 27.

The Drugs Controller General of India granted emergency use authorisation to indigenously-developed Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for children above 12 years with certain conditions on December 24.

The CoWIN platform had till Sunday evening recorded over six lakh registrations in the age group of 15-18.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has advised states and Union Territories to provide separate vaccination centres, session sites, queue and different vaccination teams for this age group to avoid the mixing-up of vaccines.

The registration for this category of beneficiaries had opened on Saturday.

According to the guidelines, they can self-register online through an existing account on CoWIN or can also register by creating a new account through a unique mobile number as is the case with all other categories of beneficiaries.

According to official documents shared by sources, the cohort size for vaccination in this category in Delhi is 10 lakh, as per the Registrar General of India’s figures.

Authorities at various hospitals in Delhi where vaccination centres were established since the start of the exercise on January 16 last year, have said that the infrastructure set up was ready to administer Covid vaccine shots to children after catering to the adult population, including healthcare workers and frontline staff, who were given priority to be the first in line to receive the jabs.

Doctors have urged parents to bring their children for vaccination as soon as possible to lend them protection amid a fear of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

New Delhi: A total of 1,700 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 23 states and Union Territories so far, out of which 639 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union health ministry’s data updated on Monday.

Maharashtra has recorded the maximum number of 510 cases, followed by Delhi (351), Kerala (156), Gujarat (136), Tamil Nadu (121) and Rajasthan (120).

India’s Covid tally rose to 3,49,22,882 with 33,750 fresh cases, while the active cases increased to 1,45,582, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The death toll climbed to 4,81,893 with 123 more fatalities, the data showed.

The active cases have increased to 1,45,582 comprising 0.42 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.20 per cent, the health ministry said.

An increase of 22,781 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.84 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.68 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,42,95,407, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 145.68 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

NEW DELHI: India saw a single-day rise of 22,775 new COVID-19 cases, highest since October 6, while the number of active cases surpassed one lakh and Omicron infection tally reached 1,431, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Of the 1,431 patients infected with the Omicron variant of the virus so far, 374 have either recuperated or migrated, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

The country also recorded 22,775 fresh COVID-19 cases and 406 more fatalities due to the viral disease.

Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of 454 new cases followed by Delhi at 351, Kerala 118 and Gujarat 115.

The fresh cases raised India’s tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,48,61,579, while the active cases increased to 1,04,781, according to the latest data.

The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 4,81,080 with 406 new fatalities, the data stated.

A total of 22, 431 new coronavirus infections were reported in a span of 24 hours last on October 6 while the active cases were recorded above one lakh last on November 30 when 1,00,543 such infections were registered.

The active cases comprised 0.30 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.32 per cent, the health ministry said.

An increase of 13,420 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.05 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.10 per cent.

The number of patients who have recuperated has gone up to 3,42,75,312, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.

The cumulative number of Covid vaccine doses administered in the country so far has exceeded 145 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23.

The 406 new fatalities include 353 from Kerala, 11 from Tamil Nadu and eight from Maharashtra.

Of the 4,81,486 Covid deaths reported so far in the country, 1,41,526 are from Maharashtra, 47,794 from Kerala, 38,335 from Karnataka, 36,776 from Tamil Nadu, 25,107 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,764 from West Bengal.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

NEW DELHI: India saw the highest single day rise of Omicron infections with 156 fresh cases, taking the total tally of such cases to 578, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The 578 cases have been detected across 19 states and UTs with Delhi recording the maximum number of 142 cases followed by Maharashtra at 141, Kerala 57, Gujarat 49, Rajasthan 43 and Telangana 41.

With 6,531 people testing positive for coronavirus infections in a day India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,47,93,333, while the active cases declined to 75,841, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The death toll has climbed to 4,79,997 with 315 fresh fatalities, the data stated.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 60 days now.

The active cases have declined to 75,841 comprising 0.22 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A decrease of 925 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.87 per cent.

It has been less than two per cent for the last 84 days.

The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.63 per cent.

It has been below one per cent for the last 43 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,42,37,495, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 141.70 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

The 315 new fatalities include 268 from Kerala and 17 from Maharashtra.

Of the 268 deaths in Kerala, 16 were recorded over the last few days and 252 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.

A total of 4,79,997 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41, 433 from Maharashtra, 46,586 from Kerala, 38,312 from Karnataka, 36,735 from Tamil Nadu, 25,105 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,716 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Night curfew will be imposed in Delhi from 11 pm on Monday, restricting movement of individuals except those in exempted categories, due to rising COVID-19 cases and the threat posed by Omicron, according to a DDMA order.

The night curfew will be in place from 11 pm to 5 am till further orders, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said.

Those exempted from the curfew include government officials, judges and judicial officers, medical personnel, pregnant women and patients, people going on feet to buy essential items, media persons, and people going to or returning from railway stations, bus stops and airports.

Only exempted-category people will be allowed in Metro trains and public transport buses during the night curfew hours, the DDMA order stated.

Delhi recorded 290 COVID-19 cases on Sunday with a positivity rate of 0.55 per cent.

As per the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a ‘yellow’ alert is sounded if the positivity rate stays at 0.5 per cent on two consecutive days.

A number of restrictions, including night curfew, closure of schools and colleges, halved seating capacity in Metro trains and buses, closure of non-essential shops and malls among others, kick in with the ‘yellow alert.

NEW DELHI: A total of 415 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in India so far, out of which 115 have recovered or migrated, according to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated on Saturday.

India’s Covid tally rose to 3,47,79,815 with 7,189 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, while the active cases have declined to 77,032, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The death toll climbed to 4,79,520 with 387 more fatalities, the data showed.

The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 58 days now.

The active cases have declined to 77,032 comprising 0.22 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A decrease of 484 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.65 per cent.

It has been less than two per cent for the last 82 days.

The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.60 per cent.

It has been below one per cent for the last 41 days, according to the Health Ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,42,23,263, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 141.01 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one crore-mark on December 19.

India had crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

The 387 new fatalities include 342 from Kerala and 12 from Maharashtra.

Of the 342 deaths, 31 were recorded over the last few days and 311 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, Kerala’s health department had said on Friday.

A total of 4,79,520 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,41,404 from Maharashtra, 46,203 from Kerala, 38,305 from Karnataka, 36,714 from Tamil Nadu, 25,103 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,707 from West Bengal.

The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

NEW DELHI: Two hundred cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected across 12 states and UTs in India so far out of which 77 patients have recovered or migrated, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

Maharashtra and Delhi have recorded 54 cases of Omicron variant each, while Telangana registered 20 cases, Karnataka 19, Rajasthan 18, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14 cases.

The ministry data updated on Tuesday also stated that India recorded 5,326 new cases of coronavirus infections, the lowest in 581 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,47,52,164, while the active cases declined to 79,097, the lowest in 574 days .

The death toll climbed to 4,78,007 with 453 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 54 days now.

The active cases have declined to 79,097 comprising 0.23 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020,the ministry said.

A decline of 3,170 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.53 per cent.

It has been less than two per cent for last 78 days.

The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.59 per cent.

It has been below one per cent for the last 37 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,41,95,060, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.38 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 138.35 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

The 453 new fatalities include 419 from Kerala and 7 from West Bengal.

Of the 419 deaths, 14 were recorded over the last few days and 405 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, a Kerala state government release said on Monday.

A total of 4,78,007 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41,353 from Maharashtra, 44,922 from Kerala, 38,290 from Karnataka, 36,686 from Tamil Nadu, 25,101 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,676 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

NEW DELHI: With 6,563 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,47,46,838, while the active cases declined to 82,267, the lowest in 572 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 4,77,554 with 132 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 53 days now.

The active cases comprise 0.24 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.39 per cent, the highest since March 2020,the ministry said.

A decline of 1,646 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.75 per cent.

It has been less than two per cent for last 77 days.

The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.60 per cent.

It has been below one per cent for the last 36 days, according to the ministry.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,41,87,017, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.37 per cent.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 137.67 crore.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

The 132 new fatalities include 96 from Kerala and nine each from Maharashtra and West Bengal.

Kerala has been reconciling Covid deaths for the past few days so the death tally of the state is high.

A total of 4,77,554 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41,349 from Maharashtra, 44,503 from Kerala, 38,288 from Karnataka, 36,680 from Tamil Nadu, 25,101 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,669 from West Bengal.

The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

New Delhi: India added 7,974 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,47,18,602, while the active cases declined to 87,245, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll climbed to 4,76,478 with 343 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 49 days now.

The active cases comprise 0.25 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020,the ministry said.

A decline of 317 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.