Coronavirus updates, November 23: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 376,929 on Monday after 2,756 new cases emerged in the past 24 hours across the country. 

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of 9:00 am, November 23, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 376,929

• Sindh: 163,329

• Punjab: 114,508

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 44,599

• Balochistan: 16,810

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 27,018

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,542

• AJK: 6,123

Deaths: 7,696

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,327

• Punjab: 2,861

• Sindh: 2,829

• Balochistan: 161

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 95

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 279

• AJK: 144

More than 58,985,500 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,393,000 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally. 

End of live updates for November 23.

11:58pm — Ankara, Turkey — Daily COVID-19 deaths hit record 153 as people deal with new curbs

Turkey's daily coronavirus death toll reached a record 153, according to the Health Ministry, as citizens adapted to new nationwide curbs and weekend curfews following a rise in infections in recent weeks, Reuters reported.

Under the new measures announced by President Tayyip Erdogan last week, the curfews and restricted hours for restaurants, cafes and shopping malls were imposed on Friday.

"Until we can start administering a vaccine, support us so that we can keep the spread rate of the outbreak under control," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

The government - which since July has not reported confirmed asymptomatic COVID-19 cases - said on Monday there were 6,713 new symptomatic patients in Turkey, the highest new daily figure since the switch in the reporting format. It showed the overall death toll rose to 12,511.

Medics and opposition lawmakers have criticised the decision to only report symptomatic cases, saying it hides the true scale of the outbreak. Last week, the Turkish Medics Association said its own calculations showed cases had jumped 300% in November to more than 47,500 daily.

11:25pm — Washington, US — CDC reports 255,958 deaths from coronavirus

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 12,175,921 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 147,840 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 882 to 255,958., Reuters reported.

11:05pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Percentage of ICU patients rising in Sindh

Sindh's health minister Azra Pechuho said that the number of coronavirus patients in ICU's has risen to 3, explaining that the situation was worsening.

However, speaking on Geo News show "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath", she said that the ICUs in the province still had the capacity to accommodate coronavirus patients.

Speaking about the decision of schools' closure, she said: "Six people become unsafe when one child goes to school — as he brings the virus."

"We were in favour of shutting down schools from the beginning," Pechuho added.

10:42pm — European shares slip as jump in virus cases offsets vaccine hopes

European shares closed lower as investors weighed signs of progress in developing a COVID-19 vaccine against the threat of economic damage from sweeping business restrictions to contain a surge in infections.

Boosting global equity markets earlier on Monday, AstraZeneca Plc said its COVID-19 vaccine, developed along with the University of Oxford, could be around 90% effective.

But AstraZeneca's shares fell 3.8% as traders took into account its lower efficacy rate compared with rivals such as Pfizer, which has so far reported the highest efficacy rate of 95%, followed by Moderna's 94.5%.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index ended down 0.2% after having gained as much as 0.6% in morning trading.

"There is a significant chance of continuing lockdown measures as the second wave isn't under control yet," said Bert Colijn, senior economist for the euro zone at ING.

"That means that some form of lockdown in December will continue to depress economic output before things actually start getting better."

10:22pm — London, UK — England gets new set of restrictions for end of COVID lockdown

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out new measures to replace a COVID-19 lockdown in England from Dec 2, reinforcing a previous regional approach to try to reopen businesses where infection rates are lower.

Just over two weeks after Johnson introduced a national lockdown for England to try to tame a spiralling increase in new coronavirus cases, he said the measures had reduced COVID infection rates and would be eased on Dec 2 as promised.

Johnson has also been under pressure to scrap the lockdown from lawmakers in his Conservative Party, where many have threatened to vote against any new restrictions they consider overly damaging to the economy without more evidence of their effect in stemming infections.

" We are going to go back ... to a regional, tiered approach," he told parliament virtually from home where he is self-isolating.

10:00pm — Geneva, Switzerland — WHO welcomes news on AstraZeneca vaccine, awaits trial data

The news on Astrazeneca's COVID-19 vaccine results is "encouraging and we look forward to seeing the data as we do with other promising results of recent weeks", the World Health Organization's chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said, Reuters reported.

In a statement to Reuters, she said: "We welcome the efforts of Oxford/AZ to make the vaccine affordable and easy to store, which will be good for countries and people everywhere."

AstraZeneca said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine could be around 90% effective, giving the world's fight against the global pandemic a new weapon, cheaper to make, easier to distribute and faster to scale-up than rivals.

9:41pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — Important decisions to be taken tomorrow as PM Imran Khan summons NCC meeting

Prime Minister Imran Khan will convene a National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) to review the coronavirus situation across the country, according to sources, and take important decisions on smart lockdowns and other measures to curb the infection.

According to sources, the meeting will be attended by officials from NCOC officials and the Ministry of Health and Education. They will discuss the growing trend of COVID-19 infections across the country.

The premier will be briefed on the measures taken to contain the spread of coronavirus and will give the final approval on the closure of educational institutions, which was announced earlier by Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood.

Read complete story here. 

9:15pm — Lahore, Pakistan — Murad Raas says students to be promoted on basis of homework 

Punjab Education Minister Dr Murad Raas said students would only be promoted to the next grade on the basis and quality of homework they produce, in a move that comes when Pakistan's schools are closed due to a second wave of the coronavirus.

In a report, the Daily Jang quoted Dr Raas as saying he was not in favour of closing schools and other educational institutes. "However, if the coronavirus gets out of control, then it will be difficult to contain," he admitted.

Read complete story here.

8:45pm — AstraZeneca CEO says smaller first dose in COVID-19 vaccine is 'big plus'

LONDON: AstraZeneca’s chief executive officer Pascal Soriot said on Monday that the lower first dose of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine meant more people can be vaccinated more quickly, as the British drugmaker unveiled interim late-stage trial results, Reuters reported.

“Being able to vaccinate more people faster is a really a big plus,” he told a briefing. The British drugmaker said on Monday its vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be around 90% effective without any serious side effects.

The vaccine developed by Oxford University was most effective when it was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart, rather than as two full doses at least one month apart.

9:16pm — London, UK — Johnson welcomes vaccine news from AstraZeneca

Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed an announcement by AstraZeneca that its COVID-19 vaccine could be up to 90% effective, saying vaccine developments were edging closer to "liberating" Britain from the virus.

"Clearly the most hopeful advance of all is how vaccines are now edging ever closer to liberating us from the virus, demonstrating emphatically that this is not a pandemic without end," Johnson told parliament on Monday.

"We can take great heart from today's news, which has the makings of a wonderful British scientific achievement."

9:00pm — London, UK — AstraZeneca says COVID-19 'vaccine for the world' can be 90% effective

AstraZeneca said on Monday its COVID-19 vaccine could be as much as 90% effective, giving the world's fight against the global pandemic a new weapon, cheaper to make, easier to distribute and faster to scale-up than rivals.

The British drugmaker said it will have as many as 200 million doses by the end of 2020, around four times as many as U.S. competitor Pfizer. Seven hundred million doses could be ready globally as soon as the end of the first quarter of 2021.

"This means we have a vaccine for the world," said Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford University vaccine group that developed the drug.

The vaccine on average prevented 70% of COVID-19 cases in late-stage trials in Britain and Brazil but the success rate rose to 90% if the vaccine was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose. The efficacy was 62% if the full dose was given twice, as it was for most study participants.

No serious safety events were confirmed, the company said.

AstraZeneca's shares fell 4%, on track for their worst daily performance in six-months, as investors perceived the efficacy data as disappointing compared with rivals. Pfizer and Moderna , which reported that their vaccines prevented around 95% of cases, had set the bar for success sky-high.

8:25pm — Karachi, Pakistan Authorities ban indoor dining amid virus surge

In order to curb the coronavirus spread, authorities in Karachi have banned indoor dining across the metropolis.

Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani, in a notification, said that dining would be permitted only in restaurants with open spaces. He ordered the deputy commissioners to strictly implement the restrictions.

8:00pm — All public, private offices in Punjab to follow work from home policy for 50% staff

7:26pm — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Govt to offer vaccines to all residents for free 

Saudi Arabia's health ministry said on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines will be free for all people living in the kingdom, state TV reported.

The ministry said it hopes to have enough vaccines to cover 70% of the country's population by the end of 2021, state TV channel Ekhbariya said on Twitter.

7:00pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — All educational institutions in ICT to close from Nov 26

All educational institutions, madrassas, universities, tuition centers, etc. will be closed in Islamabad from November 26, said Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat. 

"Education through internet will continue. All examinations except recruitment and professional have been postponed. Hostels will only accommodate 2/3 students," the DC said.

6:52pm — Budapest, Hungary — Govt imposes restricted shopping hours to protect elderly in pandemic

Hungary's government on Monday limited retail store visits in an effort to separate elderly shoppers and contain the coronavirus pandemic in the most vulnerable over-65 age group, Reuters reported.

"This government decree serves the protection of the elderly," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook video.

"The pandemic's statistics clearly show that the most endangered age group is that of our parents and grandparents. Let's take care of them."

Hungary has tried for months to avoid a second lockdown and prevent further harm to the economy but was forced to close secondary schools and impose an 8 pm-5am curfew.

6:12pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh registers 16 deaths, 1,322 infections

Sindh has recorded 16 deaths from coronavirus and 1,322 infections, the province's chief minister Murad Ali Shah said in a statement.

The death toll has shot up to 2,845, while the cases have risen to 164,651, the chief minister said.

5:44pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh rules out promoting students without exams

Sindh's education minister Saeed Ghani has said that students would not be promoted to the next classes without examinations during this academic year.

The minister's made the comments during a meeting chaired by federal education minister Shafqat Mahmood that reviewed the current coronavirus situation and ordered the closure of schools from November 26.

In the meeting, Saeed Ghani said that all educational institutions should not be closed. If this is to be done, then primary schools with an enrollment of 73% should be closed.

5:26pm — Washington, US — US prepares for first COVID-19 shots as another vaccine candidate emerges

 US officials prepared to begin inoculating Americans against the novel coronavirus by mid-December as another global drug company on Monday announced promising trial results toward a vaccine, providing hope as the pace of infections accelerated, Reuters reported.

The head of the US campaign to rapidly deploy a vaccine said on Sunday that US healthcare workers and other high-risk people could start getting shots within a day or two of regulatory consent next month.

US approval for distributing a vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech could come as soon as Dec. 11, Dr. Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for "Operation Warp Speed," told television news shows.

"Within 24 hours from the approval, the vaccine will be moving and located in the areas where each state will have told us where they want the vaccine doses," Slaoui told NBC's "Meet the Press."

5:23pm — Karachi, Pakistan —  PSX starts on negative note amid coronavirus measures 

The market started the week on a negative note as the government's mere announcement of imposing a lockdown had investors jittered.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange ended on a negative note, with the benchmark KSE 100 Index losing 554 points, or -1.38%, by the end of the trading session to reach 39,632.

117.94 million shares had changed hands by the end of the session, with a total worth of nearly Rs5.9 billion.

Stocks of 356 companies were traded, of which 67 gained in value, 267 declined and 22 remained unchanged.

4:21pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Authorities shut down three outlets in Dolmen Mall

Deputy Commissioner South Karachi Irshad Sodhar said that authorities had sealed and slapped a fine on three outlets at Dolmen Mall for violating coronavirus SOPS.

4:00pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — 'All educational institutions to remain closed, no exception'

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said that all educational institutions of the country would remain close with no excerptions.

02:10pm — London, UK — AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine can be 90% effective, results show

Britain’s AstraZeneca said on Monday its vaccine for the novel coronavirus could be around 90% effective without any serious side effects, giving the world another important tool to halt the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vaccine developed by Oxford University was 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 when it was administered as a half dose followed by a full dose at least one month apart, according to data from the late-stage trials in Britain and Brazil.

No serious safety events related to the vaccine have been confirmed and it was well tolerated across both dosing regimens, it said.

"This vaccine's efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency," Pascal Soriot, Astra's chief executive, said in a statement.

AstraZeneca will have 200 million doses by the end of 2020, with 700 million doses ready globally by the end of the first quarter of 2021, operations executive Pam Cheng said on Monday.

1:20 pm: Amid virus resurgence, schools to remain closed until January 10, 2021

ISLAMABAD: In the wake of the rising coronavirus cases in the country, the Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood on Monday said that all schools across the country will remain closed from November 26 until January 10, 2021.

"All ministers have mutually decided that to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and tuition centres closed. However, online classes will continue from November 26 to December 24 after which winter break will start. Schools will reopen on January 11, 2021," he said.

12:55 pm: Philippine health care worker hopes COVID-19 vaccines will revive overseas job dream

Philippine health care worker Vince Umali received a blow when the coronavirus pandemic derailed his plan to work in Canada this year, but he hopes to revive his dream of an overseas job after breakthroughs in the race to develop COVID-19 vaccines, Reuters reported.

Thousands of health care workers usually leave the country each year in search of better-paid jobs in countries like the United States and Canada, as well as in the Middle East.

12:30 pm: UK to announce self-isolation no longer required for contact with COVID-19 cases: report

The UK government will announce on Monday that self-isolation will no longer be required for those who have come into contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the Telegraph reported.

Contacts of those who test positive will be asked to undergo daily tests for seven days, and will be allowed to go about their business in the meantime, the newspaper said.

Ministers will say that the current system of requiring people to stay at home for 14 days will be dismantled nationwide in January, if pilot schemes succeed, according to the newspaper.

12:10 pm: Over 200 people succumbed to coronavirus across Pakistan in past one week

ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus pandemic has claimed 211 lives across the country in the past seven days with an average of 30 deaths per day, a weekly analysis of the COVID-19 statistics revealed..

With an average of 2,556.7 cases per day, a total of 17,897 infections were recorded while 6,051 patients recovered in Pakistan in the past week. 

11:50 am: Nevada tightens COVID-19 limits on casinos, eateries; broadens mask mandate

Nevada’s governor, diagnosed with COVID-19 himself earlier this month, said on Sunday he was tightening coronavirus restrictions on casinos, restaurants, and bars while imposing a broader statewide mandate for face-coverings over the next three weeks.

According to a Reuters report, the new measures, effective on Tuesday, come as state and local government leaders around the United States have moved to reinstate a wide range of limits on social and economic life to tame an alarming surge of COVID-19 infections following a summertime lull in the pandemic.

11:33 am: Gaza's health system days from being overwhelmed by COVID-19, advisers say

A sharp rise in coronavirus infections in the Gaza Strip could overwhelm the Palestinian enclave’s meagre medical system by next week, Reuters reported quoting public health advisers.

“In 10 days the health system will become unable to absorb such a hike in cases and there might be cases that will not find a place at intensive care units,” he said, adding that the current 0.05% mortality rate among COVID-19 patients could rise.

11:15 am: COVID-19 positivity ratio reaches 7.46%, NCOC told

A National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting is in progress with the Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar in the chair.

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood attended the meeting while provincial representatives joined the NCOC morning session through video link. The forum was apprised that Pakistan records the highest positivity ratio today – which is recorded at 7 .46 % – during the past four months.

10:55 am: Govt to take final decision on closure of schools today

The government will take a final decision on schools' closure at the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) today.

The decision will be announced in a press conference scheduled for noon.

With Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood in the chair, the huddle will mull measures to contain the rising coronavirus positivity rate in the educational institutes across the country.

10:40 am: Vaccines developed to fight Covid-19 show 90 to 95% effective result in first clinical trials

Vaccines so far developed to fight Covid-19 show to be between 90 and 95 percent effective in their first clinical trials. That means they could be more effective than many seasonal flu vaccines, but less effective than vaccines against other viral illnesses such as polio, according to AFP.

10:20 am: Smart lockdown imposed in 17 areas of Hyderabad

Amid the rising cases of coronavirus, a smart lockdown has been imposed in 17 areas of Hyderabad on Monday.

Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Fawad Ghaffar Soomro issued the notification of a smart lockdown to control the spread of coronavirus in the city.

The smart lockdown will be in effect for nine days from 9 am today to December 5. The district administration has also issued instructions to the police to seal off areas during the smart lockdown.

According to the announcement, hospitals, medical stores with other essential services will remain open.

9:55 am: US hopes to start virus vaccines in December as pandemic surges

The United States hopes to begin coronavirus vaccinations in early December, a top government health official, the latest positive news to emerge even as cases surge across the worst-hit nation and elsewhere around the globe, AFP reported.

The beginning of vaccinations could be a crucial shift in the battle against a virus that has claimed more than 1.4 million lives worldwide, including 255,000 just in the US, since emerging from China late last year.

9:30 am — UNICEF says to ship two billion COVID vaccines to poor nations in 2021

LONDON: Nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines will be shipped and flown to developing countries next year in a “mammoth operation”, the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF said on Monday, as world leaders vowed to ensure the fair distribution of vaccines, Reuters reported.

UNICEF said it was working with over 350 airlines and freight companies to deliver vaccines and 1 billion syringes to poor countries such as Burundi, Afghanistan, and Yemen as part of COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan with the World Health Organization (WHO).

9:15 am — Mexico posts rare jump above 9,000 for new COVID-19 cases

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s health ministry reported 9,187 additional cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, only the third time it has recorded more than 9,000 new infections in a single day, Reuters reported.

The total number of cases rose to 1,041,875, while 303 more deaths brought the toll to 101,676.

Mexico broke records in October with a daily jump of 28,115 cases, a figure officials said incorporated cases dating back months due to a new methodology.

9:00 am — Pakistan reports 36 new deaths in last 24 hours

ISLAMABAD: A total of 2,756 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 376,929. With 34 new deaths, the country's coronavirus death toll reached 7,696.

So far, a total of 330,884 people have recovered from the virus while the active number of cases stands at 38,348.

With 36,929 tests conducted across Pakistan, the positivity rate has reached 7.4%.