Highlights: Delhi Police chief asks cops to get vaccinated at the earliest

Globally, over 109 million people have been affected by the coronavirus, according to the John Hopkins University coronavirus tracker.

Around 130 countries have not received a single dose of Covid-19 vaccines (ANI Photo)

The coronavirus caseload in India has surpassed the 10.9 million mark, the total active cases in the country stands at 1.36 lakh with total 10.6 million recoveries, as per the health ministry's data....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 18 Feb 2021, 10:49:48 PM IST

  Delhi Police chief asks cops to get vaccinated at the earliest

  Delhi Police commissioner S N Shrivastava asked personnel of Delhi police on Thursday to get vaccinated against Covid-19 at the earliest, adding that the vaccine has no side effects, reported PTI. Shrivastava asked cops to get vaccinated in any of the 308 vaccination centres in Delhi without waiting for the requisite SMS.

• 18 Feb 2021, 10:17:42 PM IST

  Punjab extends last date for Covid-19 vaccination for healthcare workers

  Punjab on Thursday extended the last date for Covid-19 vaccination from February 19-to February 25, for the state's healthcare workers, reported news agency ANI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 09:33:21 PM IST

  Municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal releases new Covid-19 guidelines for Mumbai

• 18 Feb 2021, 08:50:44 PM IST

  3 districts in Maharashtra ordered to declare containment zones

  Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar directed district collectors of three districts of Amaravati, Yavatmal, and Akola to declare containment zones in the areas having a high number of Covid-19 patients.

• 18 Feb 2021, 08:35:36 PM IST

  Karnataka reported 406 new Covid-19 cases, 6 deaths

  Karnataka recorded 406 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, taking the state wide tally to 9,46,860. 6 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, the current death toll is now at 12,282, reported ANI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 07:17:45 PM IST

  Maharashtra records 5,427 new cases of Covid-19, 38 fatalities

  Maharashtra recorded 5,427 new cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, pushing the state wide toll to 2,081,520. 38 fatalities were also recorded in the last 24 hours, the death toll now stands at 51,669. The capital city of Mumbai recorded 736 new cases, and 4 deaths.

• 18 Feb 2021, 06:43:43 PM IST

  Maharashtra puts Yavatmal district under restrictions due to rising Covid-19 cases

  Yavatmal district is being put under restrictions due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases, said district collector MD Singh, reported ANI. He added that the restrictions should not be confused with a lockdown. Restaurants, function halls have been allowed to operate. Marriage ceremonies are allowed with less than 50% capacity of people, assembly of 5 or more people is not allowed.

• 18 Feb 2021, 05:45:23 PM IST

  Malaysia records 2,712 new Covid-19 cases, 25 new deaths

  Malaysia on Wednesday recorded 2,712 new cases of Covid-19, pushing the tally of infections to 274,875. 25 deaths were also reported in the same time period, the death toll now stands at 1,030, reported Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 04:41:02 PM IST

  UP records 81 new cases of Covid-19, 2 fatalities

  Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday reported 81 new cases of Covid-19, the state wide tally of infections now stands at 6,02,490. 2 deaths were also recorded which pushed the death toll to 8,709, reported PTI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 04:10:15 PM IST

  PM Modi addresses workshop on Covid-19 management

  The Prime Minister on Thursday addressed a workshop on Covid-19 management attended by 9 neighbouring countries. He pushed for greater cooperation and integration amongst South Asian countries for tackling any future pandemics.

• 18 Feb 2021, 03:01:26 PM IST

  Thailand to start human trials for Covid-19 vaccine

  Thailand's second indigenous vaccine is all set to start its human trials, officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The vaccine is being developed by Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, and has had a successful trial in mice and monkeys, it is due to be tested on humans in late April or early May.

• 18 Feb 2021, 02:12:42 PM IST

  Czech Republic reports record number of serious Covid-19 cases

  The Czech Republic reported a record number of Covid patients hospitalised in serious condition - 1,227 - on Thursday, as the country's capacity to care for such cases dwindled, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 02:02:09 PM IST

  Russia logs 13,447 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours

  Russia on Thursday reported 13,447 new Covid-19 cases, including 1,950 in Moscow, pushing the national infection tally to 4,125,598 since the pandemic began, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 01:43:14 PM IST

  Covid-19 deaths in Africa close to 100,000 after second wave

  Africa's total reported death toll from Covid-19 was approaching 100,000 on Thursday, a fraction of those reported on other continents but rising fast as a second wave of infections overwhelms hospitals, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 01:09:08 PM IST

  Telangana records 163 new Covid-19 cases

  Telangana recorded 163 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the caseload to 2,97,113, while two deaths pushed the toll to 1,622, the government said on Thursday, reports PTI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 12:47:39 PM IST

  Study reveals mutation in spike protein makes coronavirus 8 times more infectious

  The D614G mutation in the spike protein of the novel coronavirus renders it up to eight times more infectious in human cells than the initial virus that originated in China, according to a study, reports PTI. Read more

• 18 Feb 2021, 12:25:46 PM IST

  India's Bharat Biotech in process for Covid vaccine approval from 40 countries

  India's Bharat Biotech is in the process of filing regulatory documents for approval of its Covid-19 vaccine, COVAXIN, in more than 40 countries, the company told Reuters late on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 11:40:36 AM IST

  No new Covid-19 case in Arunchal since 2 days

  Arunachal Pradesh has not reported any Covid-19 case in the past two days, a senior health department official said on Thursday, reports PTI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 11:00:15 AM IST

  Nepal approves Chinese Covid vaccine Vero Cell for emergency use

  Nepal on Thursday approved the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine Vero Cell for emergency use, a government official told Reuters, the second shot to be cleared after the AstraZeneca product, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 10:37:16 AM IST

  Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil tests Covid-19 positive

  Maharashtra water resources minister and state NCP chief Jayant Patil on Thursday said he has tested positive for coronavirus, reports PTI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 10:01:28 AM IST

  Mizoram reports 3 new Covid-19 cases

  Three more persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in Mizoram, taking the tally in the state to 4,399, an official said on Thursday, reports PTI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 09:17:22 AM IST

  India reports 12,881 new Covid-19 cases, 101 deaths in last 24 hours

  India reported 12,881 new Covid-19 cases and 101 deaths in last 24 hours. The total Covid-19 tally of the country has crossed 10.95 million, as per the health ministry data

• 18 Feb 2021, 09:00:53 AM IST

  Over 50% patients with severe Covid-19 report damage to heart

  Around 50 per cent of patients who have been hospitalised with severe Covid-19 and who show raised levels of a protein called troponin cause damage to their hearts, reports ANI.

• 18 Feb 2021, 08:32:27 AM IST

  Russia's Sputnik V Covid vaccine to reach Mexico this week

  A first shipment of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 could reach Mexico as soon as Saturday, Mexico's Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez Gatell said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

• 18 Feb 2021, 08:00:15 AM IST

  Mexico police arrests 6 for Covid-19 vaccines trafficking

  Police in northern Mexico arrested six people Wednesday for allegedly trafficking in fake coronavirus vaccines, reports AP.

• 18 Feb 2021, 07:26:02 AM IST

  China reports 11 new cases of coronavirus

  China reported 11 new mainland Covid-19 cases on Feb. 17, official data showed on Thursday, up from seven a day earlier but once again there were no locally transmitted infections, reports Reuters.