With that it's a wrap to the LIVE updates on the coronavirus pandemic for today. Do join us tomorrow for the top developments on the COVID-19 situation from India and around the world. Until then, stay safe and good night.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Mumbai sees 348 COVID-19 cases in a day, lowest since April 2020

The number of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai rose by 348 on Monday, the lowest single-day addition since April last year, while the death toll and recovery count increased by seven and 503, respectively, during the day, a civic official said. It is the second time since April, 2020 that the daily count has dipped below 400, the first instance being on January 18 when 395 people were detected with the infection, as per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation data. The caseload in the country's financial capital now stands at 3,06,393, including 11,307 deaths, and 2,87,551 people have been discharged, or 94 per cent of the caseload, leaving it with 6,328 active cases, he informed. The city's case doubling time is now 481 days, while the daily growth rate is 0.21 per cent, officials said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: 172 new COVID cases in Punjab, 5 more deaths reported

Five more people succumbed to the coronavirus in Punjab, raising the toll to 5,560, while 172 fresh cases pushed the number of cases to 1,72,089 on Monday, according to a medical bulletin. There are 2,152 active COVID-19 cases in the state, the bulletin said. Mohali reported28 new cases of the novel coronavirus, Ludhiana 27 and Jalandhar 18. The recovery count rose to 1,64,377 in Punjab after 258 more patients recovered from the infection, according to the bulletin. Five critical COVID-19 patients are on ventilator support while 79 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said. A total of 43,76,767 samples have been collected for COVID-19 testing so far in the state, it said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: COVID-19 in Delhi: 148 fresh cases, lowest in nine months

Delhi recorded 148 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily rise infections in nine months, even as the positivity rate stood at 0.31 per cent. This is also the fourth instance of the number of daily cases in the city remaining below the 200-mark in January. The infection tally in the city rose to 6.34 lakh and the death toll mounted to 10,813 with five new fatalities, authorities said on Monday. The active cases tally on Monday stood at 1,694, while the positivity rate was recorded at 0.31 per cent, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department. These 148 new casescame out the 48 ,450 tests conducted the previous day, including 32,651 RT-PCR tests and 15,799 rapid antigen tests, On January 18, the city had recorded161 cases, which was lowest in nearly nine months then, with a positivity rate of 0.32 per cent.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Delhi could be heading towards attaining ‘herd immunity’, latest sero-survey indicates

The outcome of the fifth round of sero-prevalence survey in the national capital has indicated that Delhi population could be heading towards attaining herd immunity against coronavirus infection, sources said on Monday. The survey has found that in one district, 50-60 per cent of the sampled population has developed antibodies to COVID-19, they said. For the survey, which ended a few days ago, samples of over 25,000 people from various districts across the city were collected, the officials said.  Delhi’s population is over two crore, spread across 11 districts.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Decision on opening up local trains in Mumbai soon, says CM Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said the decision on opening up local trains for the public in Mumbai will be taken soon. The Chief Minister has chaired a meet to review the plan to open up local trains. In a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, the local trains are currently being run only for essential services staff, state and central government staff, employees of nationalised and private banks, PSUs and pharma companies, and QR code-based identity cards are mandatory for them.

Maharashtra records 1,842 COVID-19 cases, 3,080 recoveries

Maharashtra reported 1,842 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, slipping below the 2,000-mark after a week, taking its tally to 20,10,948, the state health department said. With 30 more deaths, the state's fatality count rose to 50,815, the department said a statement #PTI

More than 19.5 lakh healthcare workers vaccinated 

More than 19.5 lakh healthcare workers have been vaccinated across the country so far, including the vaccination of 3,34,679 beneficiaries till 7.10 pm today: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare #ANI

India is being rightly called 'pharmacy of the world', says President Ram Nath Kovind on the supply of medicines to several countries to contain COVID-19 pandemic #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Jammu and Kashmir records 64 new COVID-19 cases in a day

Jammu and Kashmir recorded 64 fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday taking the infection tally in the Union Territory to 1,24,083, while no new death has been reported, officials said. Of the fresh cases, 25 were reported from Jammu division and 39 from Kashmir, they said

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: COVID-19 vaccination sites increased to 510 in Gujarat

The Gujarat government has increased the number of COVID-19 vaccination sites from the present 161 to 510, as directed by the Centre, a senior official said on Monday, adding about 80,000 health workers have received shots since the January 16 launch. In coming days #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Uttar Pradesh reports 220 new COVID-19 cases

Uttar Pradesh reported 220 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, pushing the state's infection tally to 5,98,907, while the death toll climbed to 8,624 with seven more fatalities. The number of active cases of the disease in the state now stands at 6,813, an official statement said. 

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Negative RT-PCR report must for devotees coming for Kumbh in Haridwar

Devotees who wish to attend the forthcoming Kumbh Mela must bring a COVID-19 negative RT-PCR test report, according to a standard operating procedure (SOP) issued by the Centre for holding the religious congregation. The RT-PCR test must be conducted within 72 hrs of the date of the visit, stated the document by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Over two lakh healthcare workers vaccinated in Karnataka

Karnataka on Monday said it has become the first state in the country to vaccinate more than two lakh healthcare workers with COVID-19 vaccine. "As of 2 PM today (25th Jan 2021) Karnataka has safely vaccinated 2,06,577 healthcare workers with COVID-19 vaccine #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Ladakh records 12 fresh COVID-19 cases

Twelve more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Ladakh, pushing the infection tally to 9,687 in the Union Territory, officials said on Monday. All the new cases were detected in Leh on Sunday #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Goa nearing complete normalcy after COVID-19 outbreak

Goa Governor B S Koshyari on Monday said that the state is "nearing complete normalcy" after the COVID-19 outbreak, and that the pandemic is an eye-opener which has taught people to be self-reliant.#PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Active COVID-19 cases come down to 1.84 lakh

The tally of active COVID-19 cases in India has come down to 1.84 lakh and comprises just 1.73 per cent of the total infections recorded so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. #PTI

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Take penal action against those spreading rumours on vaccines, MHA tells states

Faced with the problem of circulation of rumours about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, the Centre has asked the states to check the spread of such misinformation and advised them to take penal action against those who are found to be involved in dissemination of wrong and ill-informed news. In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla also strongly emphasised that the National Regulatory Authority in the country has found that the two vaccines -- Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, and Covaxin, developed and manufactured by the Bharat Biotech Limited -- were safe and immunogenic. The central government, in close collaboration with the state governments and UT administrations, has launched the inoculation drive of COVID-19 vaccination from January 16 across the country with the two vaccines. The Union home secretary said healthcare workers and frontline workers are being inoculated as per the priority decided by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC), and subsequently the priority groups 2 and 3 will be vaccinated.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Continue strict control measures needed to reduce new COVID-19 strains, scientists say

While governments are negotiating a "precarious balance" between saving the economy and preventing COVID-19 fatalities, continued use of strict control measures should be adopted to reduce the evolution and spread of new COVID-19 variants, according to scientists. As COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, the scientists said a threat to vaccine effectiveness comes from other emerging strains, both existing -- such as the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants -- as well as those yet to come. The experts from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Earlham Institute in the UK and University of Minnesota in the US warn that stronger action now is the best way to mitigate more serious outcomes from such virulent strains later. In an editorial pulished in the journal Virulence, the scientists said "continuing public health efforts to encourage vaccination as well as continued use of proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as proper masking and maintaining safe social interactions, is of utmost importance.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Bangladesh receives first COVID-19 vaccine consignment from India

Bangladesh on Monday received the first consignment of the 5 million doses of Covishield vaccines from India under a procurement agreement, four days after New Delhi gifted 2 million doses of the vaccine to Dhaka. A special Air India flight carrying the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine co-manufactured by Serum Institute of India reached the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport earlier in the day to be initially stored at a warehouse of private Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd ahead of their planned countrywide distribution. Bangladesh has so far purchased 30 million doses from the Serum Institute of India through private Beximco pharmaceuticals under a tripartite agreement. The vaccines are being transported to Beximco warehouses in Tongi on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka in special freezer vans, Beximco Pharma's managing director Nazmul Hassan told reporters after receiving the consignment at the airport.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: COVID-19 vaccination centres increased to 450 from 150 in MP

The number of COVID-19 vaccination centres in Madhya Pradesh has been increased to 450 from 150 from Monday, while the plan was to raise the numbers further to 1,200 in the coming days, state minister for medical education Vishvas Sarang said. He said Madhya Pradesh had got 10.50 lakh vaccine doses, while the current requirement was 8.70 lakh. The vaccination drive, which began on January 16, was proceeding smoothly and 70 per cent of the registered beneficiaries had been covered in the first two weeks, the minister informed. There will be be a gap of 28 days between two doses of the vaccine and its effect will be seen 14 days after the second dose is administered, a health official said.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Pfizer requests South Korea approval COVID-19 vaccines ahead of February rollout

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc has filed an application seeking approval of its coronavirus vaccines to be used in South Korea as the country gears up to begin inoculations next month, authorities said on Monday. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it aims to reach a decision within 40 days after cutting its previous deliberation period of up to 180 days to fast-track the approval and speed up the vaccination process. "We will thoroughly review their safety and effectiveness in cooperation with professional examiners and outside experts so that our people can access safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines," the ministry said in a statement. South Korea has said its first batch of vaccines consisting of 100,000 doses of Pfizer products for 50,000 people could arrive before the Lunar New Year holidays, which begin on Feb. 11, via global distribution scheme COVAX. Authorities have started setting up vaccination centres, designating some 250 indoor gyms and theatres nationwide, with the goal of vaccinating up to 70 percent of its 52 million population until September. The country has secured 106 million doses of coronavirus vaccines from COVAX, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, and is also in talks to buy 40 million doses of products from Novavax.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Google opening up its spaces in US to serve as mass COVID-19 vaccination sites

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Monday that the tech giant will open up its spaces in the US to serve as mass COVID-19 vaccination sites and committed more than USD 150 million to promote vaccine education. Google is initially looking at offices' spaces inside the US, but is open to do the same in other countries as well, a company official said. "Today we're announcing that we'll be opening up Google spaces to serve as mass vaccination sites, committing more than USD 150 million to promote vaccine education and equitable distribution, and making it easier for you to find where and when to get a vaccine," Pichai announced in a blog post on Monday. "Searches for vaccines near me' have increased 5x since the beginning of the year and we want to make sure we're providing timely and locally relevant answers, he said. Google is working with local officials to determine when sites can open based on vaccine availability, Pichai added. The US is the worst-hit, has with more than 25 million COVID-19 cases recorded in the country. The country's death toll moved above 417,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Active COVID-19 cases come down to 1.84 lakh, comprises 1.73% of total infections

The tally of active COVID-19 cases in India has come down to 1.84 lakh and comprises just 1.73 per cent of the total infections recorded so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. It said Kerala and Maharashtra together account for more than 64.71 percent of the total active cases in the country. With 13,203 new instances of the viral infection reported in 24 hours till Monday 8 am and 13,298 recoveries registered during the same period, the total number of active cases receded to 1,84,182 with a net decline of 226. Kerala accounts for 39.7 percent and Maharashtra 25 per of the total active cases, the ministry said. During the same 24-hour period, 131 coronavirus-related deaths have been registered across India, the lowest in eight months, the health ministry said. The total recovered cases has surged to1,03,30,084. The ministry underlined that the gap between recoveries and active COVID-19 cases continues to grow and stands at 1,01,45,902. It said that 79.12 percent of the new recovered cases are concentrated in nine states and Union Territories.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Goa Assembly pays tributes to COVID-19 victims

A five-day session of the Goa Assembly began here on Monday with members paying tributes to some prominent personalities who died recently and those who succumbed to COVID-19 in the state. So far, 761 people have died due to the coronavirus infection in the coastal state, as per official figures. The session began with Governor B S Koshyari's address to the House, following which members of the opposition parties protested against the state government's decision to hold a curtailed session. After the governor's address, Speaker Rajesh Patnekar mentioned obituary references for several eminent personalities who died recently.

Coronavirus News LIVE Updates: Telangana adds 148 new COVID-19 cases, one death pushes toll

Telangana recorded 148 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the total caseload to 2,93,401, while the death toll rose to 1,590 with one more fatality, the state government said on Monday. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 35, followed by Rangareddy and Karimnagar districts with 11 and 10 respectively, it said in a bulletin, providing details as of 8 PM on January 24. The cumulative recovered cases stood at 2,88,577, while 3,234 were under treatment. The bulletin said 19,821 samples were tested on January 24. Cumulatively, the number of samples tested was 76,82,361. The samples tested per million population was 2,06,404, it said. The recovery rate in the state was 98.35 percent, while it was 96.8 percent in the country, it added. The case fatality rate in the state was 0.54 percent, while it was 1.4 percent at the national level, it said.