19,556 new COVID-19 cases in India, the lowest daily increase since early July; 1,00,75,116 total cases, 1,46,111 deaths

The mutant strain of the new coronavirus identified in the United Kingdom may already be present in several countries, the World Health Organization said. However, he also said that it was still too early to draw conclusions about the new strain that it was “unlikely that a couple of mutations” could affect the immune system response to one of the existing Covid vaccines.

The new variant of the coronavirus discovered in Britain with a higher transmission rate is not yet out of control and can be contained with existing measures, the WHO said on Monday. “We’ve had a much higher (contamination rate) at different points in this pandemic and we have it under control,” said WHO emergency chief Michael Ryan. “So this situation is not out of control in that sense. But you can’t leave it to your own devices. “

India, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala remained the worst affected states, although others such as Delhi, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh also reported large numbers of new cases in the past 24 hours.

Maharashtra on Monday imposed a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. until January 5 in Mumbai and other cities, and announced new quarantine rules for arrivals from Europe and the Middle East, in light of the emerging new strain of coronavirus. in the United Kingdom. Passengers from Europe or Western Asia will be sent to institutional quarantine for 14 days, the government said. The Brihanmumbai municipal chief said around 1,000 people are expected to arrive on five flights that will land until midnight on December 22, when the center’s ban on incoming UK flights takes effect.

Delhi authorities have surveyed more than 1.72 crore of residents so far for coronavirus-like symptoms to assess the spread of the infection and found that just over 39,500 had a cough, fever and other indicators of the viral illness, authorities said Monday. The national capital registered 803 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, the lowest level since August 17, even as the number of active cases fell below the 10,000 mark.

Left Democratic Front councilman Jayachandran Nair, chosen from a neighborhood in Thiruvananthapuram, vowed on Monday to wear personal protective equipment because he had tested positive for COVID-19. Their swearing-in ceremony took place after all the other members were sworn in. The Thiruvananthapuram corporation has up to 100 directors.

The Odisha government has set the maximum cost for rapid antigen testing performed by private laboratories at Rs 100 (GST included) within the state.

The United States surpassed the 18 million reported Covid-19 cases on Monday, figures from Johns Hopkins University showed. It has the highest absolute number of cases in the world (18,006,061), as well as the highest number of deaths related to the virus (319,000).

US President-elect Joe Biden received a Covid-19 vaccine live on television on Monday in a campaign to boost Americans’ confidence in the coups. The incoming 78-year-old president received the Pfizer vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware. His wife Jill received the injection earlier, the presidential transition team said.

Interpol chief Juergen Stock on Monday predicted a sharp rise in crime with thieves seeking to get their hands on precious vaccines meant to stop the coronavirus pandemic. “We will see robberies and raids of warehouses and attacks on vaccine shipments,” Stock told the business weekly WirtschaftsWoche. The general secretary of the France-based global law enforcement agency said he also expected more cases of grafts related to Covid-19 vaccines.