Coronavirus: Latest updates on COVID-19 crisis around the world

Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus crisis in India and other parts of the world on Wednesday.

5:11 p.m.

Uttar Pradesh reports eight more COVID-19 deaths and 390 new cases.

4:50 p.m.

A nasal COVID-19 vaccine will be easy to give to school-going children who bear a ''very mild'' load of the disease but they are infectious, AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said on Wednesday.

4:41 p.m.

Schools in Haryana will reopen for Classes 6 to 8 from the first week of February, state Education Minister Kanwar Pal said on Wednesday.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said COVID-19 vaccines - Covaxin and Covishield - are completely safe and people need not have any fear about getting inoculated.

4:35 p.m.

A 42-year-old healthcare worker in the Nirmal district of Telangana, who received COVID-19vaccination, died early Wednesday after complaining of chest pain, with preliminary findings suggesting the death is unrelated to the vaccination, a health official said.

Coronavirus vaccines sent by India reach Bhutan and Maldives.

4:10 p.m.

Coronavirus spike proteins may evolve to evade the human immune system, says study.

4:02 p.m.

Around 30 disability rights organizations have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan urging them to accord priority to persons with disabilities for COVID-19 vaccination. 2:54 p.m.

Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Wednesday surged to 3,33,723 after 157 more people tested positive for the infection, a health department official said.

2:12 p.m.

The COVID-19 caseload of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 4,989 as one more person tested positive for the disease in the Union Territory 1:47 p.m.

Loss of smell may be the best sign of COVID-19, research confirms.

12:54 p.m.

In a major relief for students and their guardians, the Odisha government has announced a reduction of tuition fees in all aided and unaided private schools for the 2020-2021 academic session in wake of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Goa gets 18,000 vaccine doses as inoculation is set to resume on Friday.

12:19 p.m.

Puducherry added 31 fresh cases to its coronavirus tally on Wednesday, taking the total infection count to 38,737. 11:45 a.m.

As India launched the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive, several UN agencies are working closely with authorities for the massive vaccination program, a spokesperson for the UN chief has said.

11:08 a.m.

Genome sequencing of coronavirus in sewage can help detect local variants, says study.

10:49 a.m.

Thane's COVID-19 tally has gone up to 2,50,035 with the addition of 300 new cases of the disease in the Maharashtra district, an official said on Wednesday.

10:42 a.m.

The COVID-19 tally of Arunachal Pradesh rose to 16,815 on Wednesday as three more persons tested positive for the infection in the state, a health department official said.

10:22 a.m.

Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth, one of the frontrunners to represent the country at the Tokyo Olympics, has pulled out of the ongoing Toyota Thailand Open Super 1000 tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 here.

10:19 a.m.

With 13,823 infections reported in a day, India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 1,05,95,660, while the death toll due to the disease increased to 1,52,718 in the country as 162 new fatalities were recorded.

9:51 a.m.

Five more people, including two minors, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 4,334, an official said on Wednesday.

6:46 a.m.

On the eve of his inauguration on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden held a memorial service for COVID-19 victims as the number of people who have died in the US due to the pandemic crossed four lakh.