The three-member multidisciplinary teams are headed by joint secretary level officers in the health ministry, the Union Health Ministry said

The country has already reported three mutated strains of the coronavirus - the UK strain, the South African strain and the Brazilian strain

New Zealand expects its nationwide rollout covering the country's population of 5 million will take a full year, while Australia aims to inoculate its 25 million citizens by October

\"The interim analysis report should be out in a week,\" Bhargava said on the clinical trials against the new variants.

Maharashtra reported a jump of 5,427 cases on Thursday and Mumbai reported 736 cases. Amravati has been put under a weekend lockdown and Yavatmal has been placed under restrictions

Symptoms, as reported in clinical trials for the AstraZeneca shot, can include a high temperature or headache and are a normal sign that the body is generating an immune response

Phil Dormitzer, one of Pfizer's top viral vaccine scientists, said in an interview that he believes the current vaccine is highly likely to still protect against the concerning variant first discovered in South Africa

The civic body has intensified action against people found without masks in public, and will take action against function halls, gymnasiums and other establishments that don't follow safety norms

India to emerge out of COVID-induced recession in Dec quarter: ICRA Bolstered by revival in private consumption and government spending, India is set to exit the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic in the third quarter of this fiscal, projected rating agency ICRA. The agency estimated Indian economy to record a rise of 0.7 per cent in Q3 FY21, after two very unfavourable quarters. Mumbai to face another lockdown if people violate COVID-19 rules: BMC mayorBrihanmumbai Municipal C...

Scientists are working with an anti-viral coating technology called DiOX, which uses organic disinfectant compounds in the textiles, says report

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held their first phone call as leaders and appeared at odds on most issues. While Xi has called for 'win-win' cooperation, Biden has called China America's 'most serious competitor' and vowed to 'out compete' Beijing; The job market continues to improve sequentially across the country, with job postings getting improved in some industries; The UK coronavirus variant that has wreaked havoc in the country and spread to multiple countries could eventually become the dominant strain, say experts. Watch this and more on News Blast.Also Read: Centre made Rs 100 crore by sharing vehicle data with private companies: Nitin Gadkari

Airlines allowed to operate 80% of pre-COVID-19 domestic flights till March 31 The cap on the number of domestic flights that Indian airlines are permitted to operate will remain at 80 per cent of their pre-COVID levels till March 31 or till the summer schedule begins, said the Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday. The ministry had set the 80 per cent limit on December 3, 2020, without specifying till what date it would remain in place. Indian pharma grows for 5th straight month; sales ris...

Professor Sharon Peacock, head of UK's genetic surveillance progragramme, said that once the virus mutates itself out of being virulent then one can stop worrying about it

The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, noted that the vaccine is effective against coronavirus variants carrying the N501Y and E484K mutations

Adani Group completes acquisition of 23.5% stake in Mumbai Airport; to hike ownership to 74% Billionaire Gautam Adani-led Adani Group has completed acquisition of 23.5 per cent equity stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) and Bid Services Division (Mauritius) Limited for Rs 1,685.2 crore. The Indian multinational conglomerate is set to extend shareholding to 74 per cent in MIAL, a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India ...

Oxford University scientists who developed the ChAdOx1-nCoV19 vaccine have found that it remains effective against at least one of the new variants of the disease, called the B.1.1.7 'Kent' coronavirus strain

A study from South Africa's University of the Witwatersrand and Oxford University showed the vaccine had significantly reduced efficacy against the South African variant

Three days after Spain restricted air travel with Brazil, first case of the Brazilian variant of COVID-19 was detected in the region

Out of the millions of cases around the world, one coronavirus case has stood out. The case is of a 45-year-old Covid-19 patient from Boston who died last summer after fighting for 154 days of illness--one of the longest on record

The country's health minister said on Tuesday that the new COVID-19 outbreak has infected 276 people and spread to 10 provinces and cities