Amid the sudden Covid scare that has erupted across many countries, a WhatsApp message has been making its rounds claiming that the newly discovered XBB subvariant of Omicron is five times more virulent and has a higher mortality rate than the Delta variant.However, the Union health ministry has rejected the claim and has termed the message fake. "This message circulating in many WhatsApp groups regarding XXB variant of Covid 19 is FAKE and Misleading", said the health ministry on Thursday.

Although China has not released any detailed numbers of the Covid infections, the infection rate could be over 50 per cent in the greater Beijing area, even more than 70 per cent in the worst-hit areas, the media reported on Thursday. According to an analysis in Nikkei Asia, it is being said crematories in Greater Beijing are operating at full capacity "but that some bodies are having to wait to be burned".

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that amid an ongoing resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic in China, hospitals across the country seem to be filling up. Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said: "In China, what's been reported is relatively low numbers of cases in ICUs, but anecdotally ICUs are filling up. "We've been saying this for weeks that this highly infectious virus was always going to be very hard to stop completely, with just public health and social measures."

Hospitalisations due to coronavirus are on the rise again in Italy, according to the latest official data. This could signal a potential surge in cases during the upcoming winter.

The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau has issued the third-highest storm warning for the tropical cyclone Nalgae and issued a blue storm surge warning.

After more than two years, the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic still remains a mystery. In a new report, the World Health Organization (WHO) said the theory that the Covid virus might have escaped from a laboratory needs "further investigations".

Nearly 3.44 million above 60 years in Beijing, or 80 per cent of the city's elderly population, have been vaccinated against Covid-19, local authorities said.

As the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths continues to decline, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the pandemic remains a public health emergency, advising countries to be prepared to scale up Covid-19 response rapidly.

Indian pharma major Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited and Canadian pharmaceutical company SaNOtize Research & Development Corp, on Wednesday announced launch of nasal spray to treat adult Covid-19 patients.

Scientists in the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) in Lucknow are trying to develop another drug for Covid treatment without any side-effects.

Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 333.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.55 million and vaccinations to over 9.68 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In a fresh warning, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that Omicron variant of the coronavirus is causing hospitalisations and deaths the world over, and the narrative that it is a mild disease is misleading.

South Korea reported 4,388 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 674,868.

Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 313.3 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.50 million and vaccinations to over 9.49 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

India registered a substantial spike in daily Covid cases at 22,775 in a span of 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Also, 406 deaths were reported in the same time span pushing the toll to 4,81,486.

The overall risk associated with the Omicron variant remains 'very high' which could cause widespread disruption to health systems and other critical services, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

Sounding an alarming bugle about what may be in store for the humanity with the Omicron surge, the daily global Covid-19 cases at 1.44 million has crossed a prior daily record of infections in December 2020, when Turkey had backdated a significant number of positive cases.

Russia-based pharma company ChemRar Group on Tuesday announced that its anti-Covid pill, named Avifavir, is effective against Delta as well as the new Omicron variant of Coronavirus.

An international team of scientists have identified antibodies that neutralise Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants. These antibodies target areas of the virus spike protein that remain essentially unchanged as the viruses mutate.

As Omicron variant spreads globally, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an emergency use authorisation (EUA) for the Pfizer antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 along with caution for people with certain pre-existing conditions -- heralding a new era for the future, over-the-counter treatment of the deadly respiratory disease that has killed millions.

India registered 5,326 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, which is the lowest in 581 days, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

On Monday, the country had recorded 6,563 new Covid cases and 132 deaths.

A Covid booster dose developed by China's Sinopharm has shown to generate weaker immune responses against the new highly transmissible Omicron variant, known to evade vaccine efficacy.

India reported 6,563 new Covid cases and 132 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Union ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday.

With the addition of 132 new deaths, the death toll has climbed to 4,77,554.

Omicron is now the predominant variant among new cases of Covid in England, and is also causing reinfection around one in 20 cases, according to new analysis published by the UK Health Security Agency (HSA).

In the last 24 hours, India registered 7,145 new Covid-19 cases and 289 deaths, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

With the new fatalities, the nationwide death toll has increased to 4,77,158.

India reported 7,447 new Covid-19 and 391 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

In the past 24 hours, India registered 7,974 new Covid-19 cases and 343 deaths, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday.

With the new fatalities, the nationwide death toll has increased to 4,76,478.

India reported 6,984 new Covid cases, which is slightly higher than the previous day, and 247 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

India on Tuesday witnessed a major drop in the number of daily Covid cases as it reported 5,784 new infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest in 571 days, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

India registered 7,350 fresh Covid-19 cases and 202 fatalities in the last 24 hrs, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare said on Monday.

With the fresh fatalities, the nationwide death toll climbed to 4,75,636.

In the past 24 hours, India registered 7,992 new coronavirus cases and 393 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

The new fatalities have increased the overall death toll to 4,75,128.

India reported 8,503 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, while the fatalities rose to 624, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Friday.

The death toll now stands at 4,74,735.

India on Thursday reported 9,419 fresh Covid cases and 159 deaths in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family welfare on Thursday morning.

India reported 8,439 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours pushing the tally to 3,40,89,137, the Ministry of Health and Family welfare said on Wednesday morning.

In the last 24 hours, India registered 6,822 new coronavirus cases, the lowest single-day spike in 558 days, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.