Coronavirus live updates: Russia received requests to supply 1.2 billion dozes of 'Sputnik V' Covid-19 vaccine

Russia has signed preliminary agreements with more than 10 countries across the Middle East, South America and Asia, which could give Russia "a valuable economic and political leverage" internationally. According to the Wall Street Journal, Russian officials said that they have secured deals for the vaccine to be delivered in countries like India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Brazil. They also say that it is in various stages of talks" with 10 other countries as well. Moscow has received requests or "expressions of interests" from various countries for 1.2 billion doses of the vaccine.

After a gap of 188 days, the Taj Mahal, the top tourist attraction in the country, opened to the public on Monday. The response was lukewarm as only 1,235 tourists, including 20 foreigners, visited the Mughal-era monument on Monday amid strict Covid-19 safety protocol and social distancing norms. The Archaeological Survey of India has allowed only 5,000 tourists per day as against a daily average of over 25,000 tourists visiting the Taj in pre-Covid times. It stretched to nearly a lakh during festivals.

Former Himachal Pradesh minister Shyama Sharma died at a hospital in Chandigarh on Monday, a BJP spokesperson said.Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman said that test report of samples collected form Sharma earlier found her to be Covid-19 positive.Her samples were taken at a Nahan hospital before referring her to Chandigarh hospital. The report came out Covid-19 positive after her death, he added.

A total of 156 countries have joined the global COVAX scheme intended to ensure fair distribution of supplies of future vaccines against COVID-19, an alliance led by the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. The list includes 64 wealthier, self-financing countries, a statement issued by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance said, after a deadline of last Friday to make binding commitments.

A new study that analyzed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against Covid-19.

India occupies the top position in the world in terms of total Covid-19 recoveries as the country constitutes 19 per cent of total global recoveries, said the Union ministry of health on Tuesday. "India occupies the top position in the world in terms of total recoveries. More than 43 lakhs have recovered. India's recoveries constitute 19% of total global recoveries," the ministry of health said, quoting the statistics given by Worldometers.