Coronavirus live updates: Karnataka govt to not impose night curfew

Toll rises to 7,003 with 7 more deaths

In a letter to PM Narendra Modi, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that Chhattisgarh is a tribal-dominated state, therefore free of cost Covid-19 vaccine should be made available in the state on priority basis in the first phase itself- Chief Minister's Office

Interpol on Wednesday warned authorities worldwide of the threat from organised crime groups during upcoming Covid-19 vaccination campaigns, including fake vaccines and the theft of supplies. "As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains," Juergen Stock, head of the global policing agency based in Lyon, France, said in a statement.

Delhi recorded 3,944 fresh cases, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over 5.78 lakh on Wednesday, while 82 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 9,342, authorities said. These fresh cases came out of the record 78,949 tests conducted the previous day, including 36,370 RT-PCR tests, while the positivity rate dropped to five per cent, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.

West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has inaugurated the launch of Phase-3 regulatory trial of Covaxin at ICMR-NICED, lauding the country's leadership for "effectively tackling" the COVID-19 pandemic.

Expressing concern and dissatisfaction over the violating the Covid-19 guidelines in Gujarat, the High Court on Wednesday ordered the state government to issue a notification to make those not wearing face masks to perform community services at Covid care centres for five to 15 days. The High Court also expressed "shock" over the way BJP legislator Kanti Gamit allegedly flouted all Covid-19 protocols and guidelines at a family function. The court also asked what the state government was doing about the issue.

With chances of affordable Covid-19 vaccine likely to be available by February 2021, 59 per cent Indians divulged that they will not rush to take it, a survey revealed on Wednesday. The last few weeks have given hope to the world with three vaccine makers -- Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca releasing their efficacy data. Oxford-AstraZeneca has a partnership with Serum Institute of India for production and reports suggest that the vaccine could be available as early as February at Rs 500-600 per dose.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday hailed UK approval for the use of Pfizer-BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine as "fantastic" news that would help life get back to normal. "It's the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again," he said, after regulators gave the green light in a world first.