Coronavirus updates, December 9: Latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic from Pakistan and around the world

Pakistan's COVID-19 tally rose to 426,142 on Wednesday after 2,963 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, December 9, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 426,142

• AJK: 7,427

• Balochistan: 17,540

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 4,761

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 33,420

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 50,506

• Punjab: 124,804

• Sindh: 187,684

Deaths: 8,547

• AJK: 182

• Balochistan: 170

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 98

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 345

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,429

• Punjab: 3,242

• Sindh: 3,081

More than 68,177,887 infections have been confirmed globally with over 1,556,062 deaths, according to the John Hopkins University tally.

End of live updates for December 9

10:39pm — Ankara, Turkey — Turkey says ready to procure Russia's COVID-19 vaccine if it meets criteria

Turkey is ready to procure Russia's coronavirus vaccine if it meets Ankara's criteria, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, after an earlier report cited him as ruling out buying the Russian vaccine.

The Haberturk news website quoted Koca as saying Turkey had ruled out buying the Russian vaccine, as it did not meet "good laboratory practice" conditions. It did not say which Russian vaccine it was referring to, but Turkey has been conducting Phase III for "Sputnik V".

8:35pm — Ankara, Turkey — Turkey will not buy Russian vaccine, health minister tells website

Turkey has ruled out buying the Russian coronavirus vaccine since its development lacked "good practice", its health minister said in remarks published, as Ankara steps up efforts to inoculate 50 million citizens by spring.

The Haberturk news website quoted Health Minister Fahrettin Koca as saying the Russian vaccine did not meet "good laboratory practice" conditions.

"Russia was not able to fulfil this. Therefore, it was not possible for the WHO and the world to purchase this vaccine. It is not possible for this vaccine to receive a licence from us either. Therefore, it is out of our area of interest," he said.

Koca did not specify which Russian vaccine he was referring to but Turkey has talked about conducting Phase III trials for "Sputnik-V", the world's first registered coronavirus vaccine.

8:08pm — Sao Paulo, Brazil — Brazil likely to begin COVID-19 vaccinations in Jan or Feb, says minister

Brazil will "quite likely" begin vaccinations to stem the coronavirus pandemic in January or February, Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello said in a interview with CNN Brasil.

Pazuello said on Tuesday that Brazil had signed a letter of intent to receive 70 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer starting in January.

7:40pm — Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine to introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January

Ukraine will introduce tight lockdown restrictions in January, hoping to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said.

The measures, which include the closure of schools, cafes, restaurants, gyms and entertainment centres and a ban on mass gatherings, will be in force from Jan. 8 to 24, Shmygal told the televised government meeting.

"Ukraine will introduce strengthened quarantine restrictions - let's call them 'winter holidays for safety'," Shmygal said.

"This is done in order to prevent the unfolding of a new powerful wave of the disease, which may occur, in particular, after the New Year holidays."

7:18pm — Muscat, Oman — Oman to give visa-free 10-day entry to 103 countries to boost tourism

Oman will exempt nationals of 103 counties from needing an entry visa for a stay of up to 10 days, police said, in a move to support tourism and shore up its struggling economy.

Visitors must have a confirmed hotel reservation, health insurance and a return ticket, Royal Oman Police said on its Twitter account.

"Nationals of 103 counties are exempted from entry visas into the Sultanate for a period of ten days," it said.

6:42pm — Karachi, Pakistan — Sindh reports 18 deaths, 2,003 new infections

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that the province registered 18 deaths and 2,003 new coronavirus infections, according to a statement issued from the CM House.

The chief minister said that the province's death toll now stands at 3,099, while the overall cases had risen to 189,687.

6:05pm — Oslo, Norway — Norway softens rules on quarantine for travellers from abroad

Travellers to Norway will be able to undergo a mandatory ten-day quarantine in a place of their choosing if they can document that they can respect quarantine conditions, the Nordic country's justice minister said on Wednesday.

Presently, all travellers to Norway must undergo a ten-day quarantine in a quarantine hotel chosen by local authorities if they cannot document that they own property in the Nordic country. 

5:49pm — London, UK — Britain advises people with allergy history to avoid Pfizer vaccine

Britain's medicine regulator has advised that people with a history of significant allergic reactions do not get Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine after two people reported adverse effects, England's National Health Service (NHS) said.

"As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (regulator) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination," Stephen Powis, national Medical Director for the NHS, said.

"Two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday. Both are recovering well.”

4:44pm — Nicosia, Cyprus — Govt shuts malls, restaurants to beat COVID-19 spike

Cyprus ordered the closure of malls and restaurants until the end of the year to try to subdue an aggressive jump in COVID-19 cases.

The measures come into effect from December 11, the health ministry said. In addition church services would be closed to members of the public.

"There is no such thing as good or nice restrictions, these are necessary, and mainly unpleasant, but we have to safeguard life. Our health comes first," Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou told a news conference.

4:00pm — Berlin, Germany — Merkel pushes for tougher German lockdown

Chancellor Angela Merkel threw her weight behind calls for a fuller lockdown in Germany that would include closing shops after Christmas, telling legislators that vaccines alone would not majorly alter the pandemic's course in the first quarter.

Europe's largest economy has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed but shops and schools open. That has stopped the coronavirus's exponential growth but infection levels remain at a high level.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Merkel said regional leaders should follow scientific guidance, which has called for people to further reduce their contact with others.

"It would be good to take seriously what the scientists are telling us," she said. "We will not be able to vaccinate so many people in the first quarter of 2021 — which is the winter quarter — that we will see a significant change."

Under Germany's federal system, the power to impose restrictions lies with regional governments. Merkel has long pushed for harsher lockdown measures, which some state leaders, especially those in less affected regions, have resisted.

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3:30pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — DHO Islamabad holds COVID-19 SOPs training at Panah Gah centre 

3:00pm — Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia records highest daily COVID-19 death toll of 171

Indonesia reported on Wednesday 171 more deaths from the coronavirus, marking the Southeast Asian country's highest daily rise in fatalities and taking the total number of deaths to 18,171, data from its COVID-19 taskforce showed.

The data also showed 6,058 new cases, taking the total number of infections to 592,900.

Indonesia has the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.

2:45pm — Moscow, Russia — Russia reports 26,190 new coronavirus cases, 559 deaths

Russia on Wednesday reported 26,190 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, including 5,145 in Moscow, taking the national total to 2,541,199 since the pandemic began.

Authorities said 559 had died in the last 24 hours, pushing the official death toll to 44,718. 

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2:15pm — First batch of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Israel

2:00pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — PTI govt warns it will be closing more sectors if coronavirus SOP violations continue

Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has warned that the government may have no choice but to impose further restrictions in the next two weeks if the violation of coronavirus SOPs continues across the country.

Addressing a press conference after the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) meeting, Umar noted the rising spread of coronavirus in the country and said there may come a point in the next two weeks when the government will be left with no choice but to close down more sectors.

Regretting the public's 'non-serious attitude' towards the deadly virus, the NCOC chief said a drastic decision will have to be made if the nation does not stand united in the fight to contain the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

He noted that the government had limited public gatherings to 300 but the decision was not being implemented. Due to this, he said, the coronavirus spread has increased.

Read more here.

1:30pm — Islamabad, Pakistan — Alarming situation in Karachi as coronavirus positivity rate crosses 21% for second day in a row

Coronavirus case positivity in Karachi surged by over 21% for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, according to data issued by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

The port city recorded at least 1,242 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, adding to Sindh's single-day tally of 1,472 cases. The second highest national coronavirus positivity rate of 19.03% was observed in Hyderabad as the provincial tally of infections climbed to 187,684 with 13.1% positivity rate.

The third highest coronavirus positivity rate was observed in Mirpur with 13.16% of the PCR tests detecting SARS-CoV-2, followed by Rawalpindi with 13.03%, Peshawar with 13.02% and Abbottabad at 11.82%.

Read more here.

1:15pm — Hyderabad, Pakistan — AC seals five schools in Latifabad

Assistant commissioner of Hyderabad sealed five schools in Latifabad area of the city for remaining open despite government’s closure order. 

1:00pm — Kyiv, Ukraine — Ukraine reports record daily coronavirus-related deaths

The number of daily coronavirus deaths in Ukraine jumped to 276 from the previous record of 257 fatalities registered in November, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said on Wednesday.

He also said 12,585 new coronavirus cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number to 845,343 cases with 14,204 deaths.

12:30pm — Dubai, UAE — UAE says Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy against COVID-19

An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) has 86% efficacy, the health ministry of the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.

While the positive data comes soon after last month's upbeat results from Western rivals, such as Pfizer Inc, Moderna , AstraZeneca Plc and from Russia, neither the UAE nor Sinopharm have released detailed data from the pivotal study.

In July, the Gulf Arab state started Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine, developed by Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).

12:00am — Berlin, Germany — Germany's confirmed coronavirus cases rise by 20,815

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 20,815 to 1,218,524, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Wednesday. 

The reported death toll rose by 590 to 19,932, the tally showed.

11:30am — Mumbai, India — India records 32,080 new coronavirus cases

India reported 32,080 new cases of the coronavirus, taking its total to 9.74 million, data from the federal health ministry showed on Wednesday.

India has the world's second-highest caseload, but daily infections have dipped steadily since hitting a peak in September. Of its 9.74 million total cases, around 370,000 are active patients, currently infected with COVID-19.

Daily cases have stayed below the 50,000-mark since Nov. 8, despite a busy festival season that saw crowded markets and streets.

Deaths rose by 402, the ministry said, with the total now at 141,360.

11:15am — Smart lockdown imposed in more areas of Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur 

More areas of Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur were put under a smart lockdown due to the rising coronavirus cases in those areas.

According to the secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, 19 areas of Rawalpindi and 3 areas of Bahawalpur are under a lockdown. He added that the restrictions have been placed to ensure that the entry and exit in the areas is controlled.

“Only smart lockdown in the affected areas can save more people from being infected by the coronavirus,” said secretary Muhammad Usman.

11:00am — Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico registers 11,006 new coronavirus cases, 800 more deaths

Mexico's health ministry on Tuesday reported 11,006 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 800 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,193,255 cases and 110,874 deaths.

The government says the real number of infected people is likely significantly higher than the confirmed cases. 

10:45am — Seoul, South Korea — South Korea reports 686 new coronavirus cases -KDCA

South Korea reported 686 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the second-highest daily count since its first infection in January, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. 

10:30am — Shanghai, China — China reports 15 new COVID-19 cases vs 12 a day earlier

Mainland China reported 15 new COVID-19 cases for December 8, up from 12 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Wednesday.

The National Health Commission, in a statement, said 11 of the new cases were imported infections originating overseas. It also reported four new local infections in Sichuan province.

New asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to one versus five cases a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China now stands at 86,661. The death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.

10:15am — Brasilia, Brazil — Brazil registers highest COVID-19 daily death toll in almost a month

Brazil reported 51,088 additional confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 842 fatalities from COVID-19, its Health Ministry said on Tuesday, marking the highest death toll since November 14.

The South American country has now registered 6,674,999 cases since the pandemic began, while its official death toll has risen to 178,159, according to ministry data. Brazil has the world's third highest case count and second highest death toll. 

9:45am — Peshawar, Pakistan — Rescue service 1122 conducts awareness session on COVID-19

Rescue service 1122 of Dir Lower on Tuesday conducted a campaign to educate masses regarding precautionary measures against the spread of COVID-19 and to get prompt services of the Rescue 1122 in case of emergency.

The awareness Rescue raising sessions were held on the directives of Director General Rescue 1122 KP Dr Khatir Ahmed says media spokesperson of the service.

On the occasion District Incharge Izhar Alam urged to strictly adopt precautionary measures including wearing masks and maintaining social distance to stop spread of the contagion.

9:30am — Peshawar, Pakistan — Coronavirus claims life of lady doctor

A lady doctor from Haripur succumbed to coronavirus on Tuesday, a media report said.

According to the report, lady doctor, Aalia Sarfaraz who was a gynecologist and performed as in-charge District Headquarters Hospital.

Haripur was on ventilator since a week and died today in the morning.

According to a family sources, she got infected with the virus during the marriage of her son. She was under treatment at private hospital of Islamabad.

9:00am — Bahawalpur, Pakistan — 40-bed corona ICU Ward inaugurated in Bahawalpur

Commissioner Zafar Iqbal on Tuesday inaugurated a 40-bed coronavirus ICU Ward at the Civil Hospital, Jhangiwala Road.

Principal of Quaid-e-Azam Medical College/CEO of Bahawal Victoria Hospital Prof Dr Shafqat Ali was accompanied with him. 

According to the QMC principal, the ICU Ward was also equipped with 11 ventilators and oxygen cylinders to deal with any emergency.