Coronavirus updates, November 27: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 389,311 on Friday after 3,113 new cases were detected 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 27, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 389,311

• Sindh: 168,783

• Punjab: 117,160

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 46,281

• Balochistan: 17,008

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 28,980

:• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,598

• AJK: 6,501

Deaths: 7,897

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,346

• Punjab: 2,945

• Sindh: 2,885

• Balochistan: 165

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 96

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 305

• AJK: 155

More than 60,880,145 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,430,822 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally.

End of live updates for November 27

10:44pm — Geneva, Switzerland — WHO says it needs to evaluate vaccine candidates on more than just a press release

The World Health Organization needs to evaluate coronavirus vaccines and their immune responses based on more than just a press release, Kate O'Brien, WHO's director of immunisation vaccines and biologicals, said.

AstraZeneca is likely to run an additional global trial to assess the efficacy of its vaccine using a lower dosage, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Thursday amid questions over the results of its late-stage study.

9:44pm — London, UK — Britain records 16,022 new coronavirus cases, 521 new deaths

The United Kingdom recorded 16,022 new coronavirus cases on Friday and 521 deaths within 28 days of a positive test for the virus, according to official data.

Thursday's data had shown 17,555 new coronavirus infections and 498 deaths.

What has the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted?

8:04pm — Sárszentágota, Hungary — Health companies tap Hungarian red berries to beat COVID-19 blues

Demand for the humble Hungarian elderberry has soared this year as US and Chinese buyers have snapped up supplies, attracted by the fruit's purported health benefits as a supplement to boost the immune system.

Elderberries have long been used in traditional medicines in Hungary and farmers have harvested wild clumps.

But before the coronavirus pandemic, 90 per cent of the country's crop was sold to the food industry for use as red food coloring in ice cream, jam or candies. Only the remaining 10 per cent was used in health products.

Now elderberries have become a precious commodity, and prices have soared.

Trials have shown elderberry syrup could help treat influenza. Some doctors say elderberries could also aid recovery during respiratory virus infections, including the coronavirus, although more studies need to be done.

"Many healthcare supplement producers want elderberry, even if they had never worked with it before," said Gyorgy Csizmadia, director of the Elderberry Sales Co-operative in the village of Sarszentagota.

7:35pm — New Delhi, India — Economic contraction slows as vaccines boost recovery hopes

The contraction of the Indian economy eased off in the three months to September amid signs of a pick up in manufacturing, and economists expect a steady recovery next year if progress on coronavirus vaccines feeds consumer demand.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party won elections this month in the eastern state of Bihar, expects the recent easing of farm and labour laws, along with tax incentives, to bolster manufacturing and lure more foreign investment.

India's gross domestic product in July-September quarter contracted 7.5% on year, data released by the National Statistical Office on Friday showed, compared to a decline of 23.9% in the previous three months.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast an 8.8% contraction in the latest period.

7:00pm — London, UK — COVID-19 epidemic in Britain shrinking with R estimated below 1

The COVID-19 epidemic in Britain is shrinking slightly with the reproduction "R" number estimated to be below 1, hinting at the impact of England's second national lockdown in bringing infections down, government scientists said.

The number of new infections is shrinking by between 0% and 2% every day, the UK Government Office for Science said, after it was estimated to be growing between 0% and 2% in last week's release.

The R number was estimated to be between 0.9 and 1, meaning every 10 people infected will go on to infect between 9 and 10 people, down from last week's range of 1.0-1.1.

6:25pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — ICT reports 425 new cases 

6:06pm — Budapest, Hungary — Hungarian experts to visit Russia to speed vaccine approval

Russia will allow Hungarian doctors and medical experts to observe the manufacturing process and laboratory tests for its Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Friday.

The deal represents Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's latest high-profile accord with Moscow after a 12.5 billion euro ($14.9 billion) project to expand the Paks nuclear power plant and the prospect of further gas imports from Russia beyond 2021.

"We are working on getting a safe vaccine to the Hungarian people as soon as possible," Szijjarto said in a joint news conference with Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, adding that Hungary wanted to obtain a vaccine in December or January.

Szijjarto said next week's visit by Hungarian doctors could accelerate a ruling about use of the vaccine in Hungary.

5:18pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh reports 12 deaths, 2,897 more infections

Sindh reported 12 more deaths and 1,423 coronavirus infections, according to the province's chief minister Murad Ali Shah.

The chief minister said that the death toll stands 2,897, while the total cases had reached 170,206.

4:35pm — Ahmedabad, India — Five COVID-19 patients killed in hospital fire

Five patients were killed in India in a fire that broke out in a COVID-19 ward, the fourth blaze in a novel coronavirus hospital since the outbreak began, which drew angry questions from the Supreme Court.

The early morning blaze in Rajkot city in the western state of Gujrat gutted the intensive care unit (ICU) of the private hospital, television footage showed. The most likely cause was an electrical short circuit, said government official Udit Agarwal.

"Three of the patients in the ICU died on the spot, and two others succumbed on way to hospital. The two other patients in the ICU were unhurt," Agarwal told Reuters.

India has recorded 9.3 million infections, the second-highest in the world after the United States, and more 135,00 deaths. On Friday, the health ministry said it reported 43,082 new cases and 492 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The latest fire angered India's top court, which asked both the federal and state governments to submit a detailed reply on recurring fires in COVID-19 hospitals.

4:00pm — Kaula Lampur, Malaysia — Malaysia to receive 12.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer

Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the country had signed a deal for 12.8 million doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, the Bernama state news agency reported.

The first delivery of one million doses is expected in the first quarter of 2021, Muhyiddin said, according to Bernama.

3:45pm — Bangkok, Thailand — Thailand secures 26 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID vaccines

Thailand has signed a purchase agreement for AstraZeneca's potential COVID-19 vaccine on Friday (November 27), in the country's first coronavirus vaccine procurement deal.

The announcement comes as other countries in the region like the Philippines prepare to sign similar deals with AstraZeneca and other firms to guarantee supplies.

The Oxford University-AstraZeneca team announced that the vaccine they are developing has been found to have between 70% to 90% efficacy, according to Prayuth.

The temperature storage conditions of the vaccine of between 2-8 degrees Celsius (11.6-46.4 degrees Farenheit) also made it suitable for the country.

Thailand's cabinet previously approved a budget of 6 billion baht ($198 million) for the purchase for 26 million doses for the immunisation of 13 million people.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy has kept total coronavirus cases at a low 3,942, with 60 deaths, but its ban on commercial flights imposed in April has battered its important tourism industry and slowed recovery efforts.

The vast majority of new coronavirus cases in Thailand in recent months have been imported and found in state quarantine.

3:30pm — Moscow, Russia — Russia to vaccinate armed forces against COVID-19 as new cases hit daily record

Russia plans to vaccinate more than 400,000 military personnel against COVID-19, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Friday, as authorities reported a record 27,543 new coronavirus cases.

Russia, which is working on several vaccines against the virus, has seen a surge in infections since September but authorities have resisted imposing lockdowns, relying instead on targeted measures in certain regions.

Indian pharmaceutical company Hetero will manufacture more than 100 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per year under the terms of a deal with Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund unveiled on Friday.

Siberia's Vector Institute, developing EpiVacCorona, Russia's second COVID-19 vaccine, said immunity would not be lifelong and that additional vaccinations would be required 6-10 months after the first two shots, and then once every three years.

The Vector Institute was ready to produce up to five million doses of its vaccine per year, Alexander Ryzhikov, head of the institute's zoonotic infections and influenza department, said on Friday.

Shoigu said 2,500 military personnel had been vaccinated against COVID-19 already, with the total expected to reach 80,000 by the end of the year, news agencies cited him as saying. 

2:00pm — Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia reports record high coronavirus infections and deaths

Indonesia reported a new daily record high of 5,828 new coronavirus infections and 169 deaths on Friday, data from its COVID-19 task force showed.

The latest figures brought total case numbers to 522,581 and coronavirus-related deaths to 16,521, both the highest in Southeast Asia.

1:45pm — Budapest, Hungary — PM says to decide about Christmas COVID rules in about 10 days

Hungary’s government will decide in about 8-10 days on restrictions to be applied over the Christmas holidays to curb coronavirus infections, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.

Orban said that two weeks after a night-time curfew and restrictions were introduced, infection data “have not shown a significant change” and the number of hospitalised COVID patients would soon reach 10,000, which meant the healthcare system was “under enormous pressure.”

Orban said Hungarians should not book skiing holidays abroad as they would have to face a very serious quarantine obligation on their return.

Hungary reported 6,360 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the second-highest daily increase since the beginning of the pandemic, while the number of deaths, at 115, was the third-highest on record.

1:15pm — Moscow, Russia — Pharma firm in India to make Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Indian pharmaceutical company Hetero will manufacture over 100 million doses of the Russian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine per year under the terms of a deal unveiled on Friday between it and Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund.

The move, which RDIF cast as another step in its efforts to scale up international manufacturing of its flagship vaccine, will see Hetero begin production in India at the start of next year, according to a joint statement on the Sputnik V Twitter account.

The statement said Phase II-III clinical trials were still under way in India, which with a population of over 1.3 billion is the second most populated country in the world after China.

Although Russian authorities gave Sputnik V their regulatory approval under an accelerated procedure in August, trials in Russia, designed to assess its safety and efficacy, are also ongoing.

"While we look forward to the clinical trial results in India, we believe that manufacturing the product locally is crucial to enable swift access to patients," said B. Murali Krishna Reddy, Hetero's director of international marketing.

He said the deal chimed with an objective being promoted by the Indian prime minister of making things in India.

1:00pm — London, UK — No reason to worry about Oxford/Astra vaccine, says UK minister

British housing minister Robert Jenrick said there was no reason for anyone to be concerned about the data behind the Oxford and AstraZeneca vaccine and said the independent regulator would work to assess it.

“I don’t think there is any reason to be unduly concerned,” he told Sky News. “We have now written to the body that will independently assess the veracity and the safety of the vaccine.

“We have to let the independent evaluation happen now.”

Some questions have been raised about the Oxford/AstraZeneca data and the robustness of that result.

12:45pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — Islamabad diagnosing highest number of cases per million, claims DHO

District Health Officer (DHO) of Islamabad Zaeem Zia claimed on Thursday that the federal capital was diagnosing the “highest number of cases per million and has highest case density”.

“As data suggests that Islamabad has lower mortality, which is around 1.1%. We have been connecting with almost all the diagnosed for counselling, clinical situation and to test at the doorstep. We aware of some delays, that's natural as we are part of global surge of cases,” said Zia in a series of tweets.

The DHO Islamabad was sharing the details while announcing that his office was the training of new batch of frontline tracers to catch up with the increased numbers of positive cases.

12:15pm — Paris, France — AstraZeneca France says situation with its COVID-19 vaccine encouraging

The situation regarding the COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca is generally encouraging, even though a new trial will be needed, said AstraZeneca France president Olivier Nataf on Friday.

"We are in a context that is encouraging," Nataf told RTL radio.

AstraZeneca nevertheless faces questions about its success rate, which some experts say could hinder its chances of gaining speedy US and EU regulatory approval.

12:00pm — Berlin, Germany — COVID-19 infections in Germany surpass one million

The number of COVID-19 infections in Germany surpassed the one million mark and the daily death toll hit a record of 426, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday.

The figures reflected the reality that Germany was at best keeping new infections stable, which Chancellor Angela Merkel has said would not suffice to ease restrictions and eliminate the risk of overwhelming hospitals.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases increased by 22,806 to 1,006,394, according to the RKI.

That was 842 fewer new cases than a week ago.

The reported death toll rose by 426 to 15,586, the tally showed. That number was at 260 a week ago, and at 49 on Nov. 2, the day the "lockdown lite" was launched.

Bars, restaurants, theatres and fitness studios are closed but schools and shops remain open. From Dec. 1, private gatherings will be limited to five people from currently 10.

Over Christmas, that number will rise to 10 again in most of the 16 federal states, not counting children under 14, although families are asked to avoid social contact for a week ahead of visits.

The capital Berlin, one of the hardest hit cities in Germany, has said it would not ease restrictions over Christmas.

11:45am — Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine reports record high for daily coronavirus cases: minister 

Ukraine registered a record 16,218 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, health minister Maksym Stepanov said on Friday, surpassing the previous day's record of 15,331.

Total infections climbed to 693,407 cases, with 11,909 deaths, he said.

11:30am — Islamabad , Pakistan — Federating units laud mosques for following SOPs 

The federating units on Friday lauded religious scholar and mosques for complying with the SOPs and carrying out public awareness regarding the pandemic. 

The NCOC was also told that a meeting was held with religious scholars and marriage hall associations regarding the compliance of health guidelines and protocols.

"Our main responsibility is public safety and health and all necessary measures as passed through various guidelines and instructions issued time to time by health ministry must be ensured, NCOC Chair Asad Umar told the meeting

The minister said that the continuous monitoring and anticipation of likely pattern and disease prevalence is "most important" because that will help giving a required response to control coronavirus.

11:15am — Islamabad, Pakistan — Peshawar has highest positivity ratio of 19.65%, NCOC informed

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC)  was informed on Friday that Peshawar has the highest positivity ratio in the country.

The NCOC was informed of the positivity ratios of major cities in the morning session that was also attended by the chief secretaries via a video link.

The health experts told the forum that the national positivity ratio stood at 7.20 %.

"Highest positivity ratio observed in Peshawar 19.65 % followed by Karachi 17.73 and Hyderabad 16.32 %," the experts told the NCOC.

The positivity ratio among provinces and region is the highest in Sindh with 13.25%; AJK's ratio stands at 10.79%; Balochistan's positivity ratio stands at 6.41%; Gilgit Baltistan's province stands at 4.81%; Islamabad is at 5.84%; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is at 9.25%; while Punjab stands 3.59%.

In Punjab, Rawalpindi's positivity ratio was the highest with 11.49% and the provincial capital Lahore's positivity ratio stood at 4.52%.

In Sindh, Karachi's positivity ratio stands in Karachi at 17.73% and Hyderabad's positivity ratio stands at 16.32%.

In Balochistan, Quetta's positivity ratio stood at 9.77%. The federal capital's positivity ratio stands at 5.84%.  

In Azad Jammu Kashmir, Mirpur has the highest positivity ratio with 14.97% with Muzaffarabad standing at 10.34%.

In Gilgit Baltistan, Gilgit's positivity ratio stands at 9.26%.

The forum was also told that currently 2,112 coronavirus patients are in critical condition and the number was "rising fast".

11:00am — Tokyo, Japan — Japan cancels Emperor's New Year event due to coronavirus

Japan's Imperial Household Agency has cancelled an annual New Year's event set for January 2, at which Emperor Naruhito and other imperial family members were to greet well-wishers, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We have decided not to hold (the event) from the viewpoint of preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus," the agency said on its website on Friday.

10:45am — Seoul, South Korea — South Korea reports another day of more than 500 new coronavirus cases

South Korea reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day on Friday (November 27), a level not seen in nearly nine months, as a third wave of infections spreads nationwide and authorities scrambled to provide more hospital beds.

South Korea's military imposed tougher social distancing rules including a 10-day ban on soldiers taking leave. The curbs came after more than 50 new coronavirus cases were reported from a military training facility this week, adding to rising cases elsewhere in the country.

10:30pm — Former Olympian Akhtar Rasool tests positive for coronavirus 

Former Olympian Akhtar Rasool has tested positive for the coronavirus and is being treated at a private hospital, confirmed the hockey player’s brother.

According to the Olympian’s brother Khalid Rasool, his brother is being treated for the virus since the last 11 days.

The former hockey player was the former captain of the team and has also served as the president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

10:15am — Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico's coronavirus death toll rises above 104,000

Mexico's health ministry on Thursday reported 8,107 additional cases of the novel coronavirus and 645 more deaths in the country, bringing the official number of infections to 1,078,594 and the death toll to 104,242.

Health officials have said the real number of infections is likely to be significantly higher.

10:00am — Brasilia, Brazil — Bolsonaro says he will not take coronavirus vaccine

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday evening that he will not take a coronavirus vaccine, the latest in a series of statements he has made expressing skepticism toward coronavirus vaccination programs.

In statements broadcast live over multiple social media platforms, the right-wing leader added that Congress was unlikely to require Brazilians to take a vaccine.

Brazil has the second highest number of coronavirus deaths in the world, and Bolsonaro has for months played down the seriousness of the pandemic despite being infected with the virus in July.

"I'm telling you, I'm not going to take it. It's my right," he said.

Bolsonaro also expressed skepticism over the effectiveness of mask wearing in the broadcast, implying there was little conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of masks in stemming the transmission of the virus.

The president has repeatedly said Brazilians will not be required to be vaccinated when a coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available. In October, he joked on Twitter that vaccination would be required only for his dog.

9:45am — Karachi, Pakistan — Wasim Akram urges people to follow safety precautions 

Former Pakistan team captain Wasim Akram urged people to follow safety precautions as the second wave of coronavirus spreads.

“Please stay safe and listen to the expert’s second wave of COVID is a very serious matter,” said Akram along with a video message on Instagram.

The former left-arm pacer urged citizens to wear a mask and maintain social distance.

9:30am — Sydney, Australia — Once Australia's COVID-19 hotspot, Victoria goes 28 days without an infection

Australia's second-largest state, Victoria, once the country's COVID-19 hotspot, said on Friday it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community.

The state also has zero active cases after the last COVID-19 patient was discharged from hospital this week, a far cry from August when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8,000.

The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting more than 100 days, leaving some 5 million people in Melbourne, Australia's second largest city, largely confined to their homes.

While the lockdown has seen infections wane, it slowed Australia's economic recovery from its first recession in three decades after large swathes of the country's economy were shut down in March.

Australia's economy shrank 7% in the three months to the end of June, the biggest quarterly decline since records began in 1959. The unemployment rate hit a 22-year high of 7.5% in July as businesses and borders closed to deal with the coronavirus.

The slowdown in cases, however, has seen Australian states and territories remove social distancing restrictions.

Australia's southern island state, Tasmania, on Friday became the latest to open its border to Victoria, reuniting families who had been apart for months.

Victoria is the last state to gain access to Tasmania, which closed its borders in March.

Australia's nearly 28,000 COVID-19 infections recorded to date, according to health ministry data, are far fewer than many other developed countries. Victoria accounts for more than 90% of the country's 905 deaths. 

9:15am — Seoul, South Korea — South foils North's attempt to hack COVID-19 vaccine makers

South Korea's intelligence agency foiled North Korean attempts to hack into South Korean companies developing coronavirus vaccines, the News1 agency reported on Friday, citing a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee.

Lawmaker Ha Tae-keung said after being briefed by the National Intelligence Service that the agency did not specify how many and which drugmakers were targeted but said there was no damage from the hacking attempts, News1 said.

Last week, Microsoft said hackers working for the Russian and North Korean governments have tried to break into the networks of seven pharmaceutical companies and vaccine researchers in South Korea, Canada, France, India and the United States.

9:00am — Berlin, Germany — Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 22,806

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 22,806 to 1,006,394, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Friday.

The reported death toll rose by 426 to 15,586, the tally showed.