The overall confirmed cases on the mainland reached 80,735 by the end of Sunday which included 3,119 people who have died so far.
The research revealed that coronaviruses and their hosts are engaged in an evolutionary arms race that promotes genetic variety in the virus.
The minister said there has been no cases of Nipah reported from anywhere in the country
He asserted that all efforts are on to contain the spread of the virus in Kerala.
"We have made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic," WHO DG Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "WHO's mandate is public health. But we are working with many partners across all sectors to mitigate the social and economic consequences of this COVID-19 pandemic," he added.
The new lineage called B.1.618 is distinct from the B.1.617, also known as the 'double mutant' virus that contains two mutations, E484Q and L245R, and is believed to be behind the powerful second COVID-19 wave sweeping through India.
The virus may have acquired mutations that make it more severe and infectious.
The list of international sporting events affected by a new virus outbreak in China grew on Wednesday with skiing World Cup races in Yanqing cancelled and Olympic women's football in Australia in doubt over concerns about athletes' safety. Badminton, tennis and basketball were among other sports whose governing bodies were rearranging events, weighing possible changes or monitoring the implications of the outbreak.
A total 95 deaths deaths were reported since Friday morning, of which 37 in Maharashtra, 24 in Gujarat, nine in West Bengal, seven in Madhya Pradesh, four each from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, three from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and two from Delhi and one each from Punjab and Haryana.
'It is a droplet infection and the virus is not airborne.; 'As it cannot stay in the air, the infection will pass from one person to another.' 'It also means, it is easy to prevent.'
The Wuhan local administration earlier announced that people who are not quarantined and seeking special treatment or stranded in the city can leave in batches.
Djokovic's father blamed the cancellation of the tour on Dimitrov. There is nothing to suggest that Dimitrov spread the virus to others.
Battling the virus, enduring separation from loved ones, and working extended hours became part of the job.
In a letter to the prime minister, Tharoor said the country was at a "critical stage" in its campaign against the virus and expert-level groups such as the Indian Council of Medical Research have pointed out that efforts must be targeted at preventing the third phase of transmission of this virus.
The Quinton de Kock-led South African team on Monday checked into a city hotel near the airport in Kolkata as Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) took all precautions for their safe return home amid the coronavirus pandemic. After their three-match ODI series was called off due to the virus outbreak, the South African players and the support staff stayed put in Lucknow where the second match was slated.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and fast bowler Ishant Sharma heaped praise on Delhi Police for the work they have been doing in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Kohli lauded the Delhi Police for helping those who have been the worst hit by the virus outbreak, especially the poor sections of the society, including migrants and daily wage workers.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that despite the increase in COVID cases in Kerala, there was nothing to be concerned about as the hospitals were well-prepared to handle the virus infection.
The Union health ministry has also directed airport and port health officers to be vigilant, they said.
The athletes were unable to enter Australia due to government restrictions on foreign nationals travelling from China.
Asian Paints, HUL, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Industries, UltraTech Cement were among the top laggards in the Sensex pack.
Australia's Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said he opposed special arrangements to let unvaccinated athletes compete in the state, which is scheduled to host the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park in January.
Though the lockdown has been lifted, local officials continue to ask people to stay indoors.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday (local time) said the US is working closely with its partners in the Indian government to deploy more supplies and additional support amid the record upsurge in Covid-19 infections in the country.
Britain's world and Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill is deeply concerned about the threat of the Zika virus in Brazil ahead of this summer's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The Food and Drug Administration says all those areas are currently in compliance with blood screening, but that expanded testing is now needed.
On Tuesday, state health minister Veena George had said that despite the increase in COVID cases in Kerala, there was nothing to be concerned about as the state was well prepared to handle the virus infection.
With Ebola claiming at least 932 lives and infecting more than 1,700 people since breaking out in west Africa earlier this year, the World Health Organisation has declared it to be a "public health emergency of international concern." The disease has no vaccine and no specific treatment.
Cricket Australia on Tuesday confirmed that the Pink Test between Australia and India will remain at the Sydney Cricket Ground as scheduled.
A qualifier between Algeria and Angola has been postponed because of fears over an outbreak of the Marburg virus.
The World Health Organisation has said that the death toll attributed to the Ebola outbreak has risen above 4,000.
The virus, which has infected more than 14,562 people, continues to spread beyond China.
Monday also saw the new confirmed infections of COVID-19 outside Hubei reduced to a number lower than 100 for the first time, Mi told the media..
The Sindh province is the worst-hit with 172 cases, followed by 15 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 in Balochistan, 8 in Punjab, 5 in Gilgit-Baltistan and 2 in Islamabad, officials said.
Eighty-nine deaths were reported on Saturday -- the highest single-day death toll -- and there were 2,656 new confirmed cases of the deadly infection, China's National Health Commission said in its daily report on Sunday.
A day after the WHO declared emergency over the "explosive" spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the Centre on Tuesday issued detailed guidelines for combating the disease, including a travel advisory that asks pregnant women to either defer or cancel their travel to the affected areas.
If the precautions are not taken and guidelines are not followed properly, there can be chances of spike in cases, the government said.
At a press conference following a review meeting to fight the spread of coronavirus, Netanyahu said that several measures will be announced to prevent the spread of coronavirus but some simple measures like avoiding the normal handshake while greeting people may possibly be replaced with other forms of greetings like the 'Namaste'.
The "exponential increase is largely due to the recent inflow of people brought in from Taftan after a purported quarantine".
The Surat diamond industry is likely to face a loss of around Rs 8,000 crores in next two months as Hong Kong, which is a major export destination, has declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak in China, say experts. Hong Kong is a major business hub for the Surat diamond industry, but schools and colleges have been closed there till the first week of March and even businesses are seeing a dip in view of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
The renowned pulmonologist, who was part of the national COVID task force, highlighted the need for research on developing vaccines which will cover not only the current circulating strains but also from the emerging variants.
