India's new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections at lowest in almost a month.

India's new coronavirus infections at lowest in almost a month;

India has reported 75,083 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to federal health data, the lowest daily tally in almost a month. There were 1,053 deaths over the same period.

There have been 5.6 million cases in total in the country, second only behind the United States.

Chinese state-backed firm expects coronavirus vaccine approval for public use within months ;

State-backed vaccine maker China National Biotic Group (CNBG) is hopeful of two of its novel coronavirus vaccine candidates receiving conditional regulatory approval for general public use within the year, Reuters reported quoting the company's vice president.

China has inoculated hundreds of thousands of people under an emergency programmed authorized in July for essential workers and other limited groups of people considered at high risk of infection, to stave off a resurgence of the coronavirus, even as clinical trials of vaccines are still underway to prove their efficacy and safety.

In Tel Aviv Covid-19 ward, warnings of dwindling hospital capacity ;

Inside a fast-filling coronavirus ward in a Tel Aviv hospital, doctors rush to treat critical-care patients amid a surge in new cases that has forced Israel into a second nationwide lockdown, Reuters reported.

Health officials fear that the three-week lockdown, imposed on Friday, may not be long or restrictive enough to slow the daily case toll and relieve hospitals that they warn could soon reach capacity.

Guy Choshen, director of Ichilov's coronavirus ward, said the hospital has begun admitting patients from Jerusalem and districts in northern Israel “because of (their) incapacity to handle this increase in numbers”.

Middle schools in KP to reopen from tomorrow: education minister ;

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Minister Shahram Tarakai has said that middle schools in the province will be reopened from tomorrow.

He said that the decision was taken in line with a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre. "Middle school classes will be allowed to resume with proper standard operating procedures (SOPs)," he said.

"If conditions get better, primary schools will also be allowed to resume classes soon," he added.

Coronavirus dampens seasonal cheer in China's Christmas production hub ;

Yiwu is a city dedicated to Christmas all year round, filled with factories, showrooms and stores that deliver decorations and toys to destinations all around the world. The city last year exported around 1.92 billion yuan ($278.02 million) worth of Christmas products between January and October, up 23.9pc from the previous year, according to government data.

Data for this year has not yet been released, but the anecdotal evidence is bleak after the global pandemic all but halted international business travel when many countries placed entry bans on foreigners.

UK says people should work from home if they can as Covid-19 spreads ;

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Tuesday advise that people should work from home if they can as part of a package of measures aimed at halting the swiftly accelerating second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Reuters reported.

“One of the things we are going to emphasize is that if it is possible for people to work from home, we are going to encourage them to do so,” Minister for the Cabinet Office Michael Gove told Sky. “There is going to be a shift in emphasis.”

Nearly 300 more people recover from virus in Pakistan ;

The government's database on coronavirus shows that another 290 people have recovered in Pakistan, taking the country's total recoveries to 293,159.

According to the database, 570 patients are in critical condition.

Punjab records 59 coronavirus cases, 1 fatality ;

Punjab has recorded 59 new coronavirus cases, according to the government's Covid-19 portal, taking the provincial total to 98,487.

It has reported one additional fatality from the virus, taking the provincial death toll to 2,227. According to the portal, 94,917 people have recovered from the coronavirus in Punjab so far.