Highlights: 26 more coronavirus deaths, 845 new cases in Punjab

A French government scientific adviser on Thursday said that France might be able to return to normalcy in about a year of as many as 80 to 90 per cent of the population is vaccinated against the Covid-19 disease. President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday the vaccine could start being administered as soon as the end of the year in France if approved by regulators adding it won't be mandatory, reports Reuters.

China's biggest wholesale food market has suspended the sale and storage of chilled and frozen meat and seafood as the government ramps up inspections of cold-chain goods after several new cases of coronavirus infections, reports Reuters.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday stressed on the need to increase Covid-19 testing in rural areas of the state and directed officials to intensify awareness programmes on the coronavirus, reports PTI.

Sweden's Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia have tested positive for Covid-19, the Swedish royal court said on Thursday, reports Reuters.

Poland is introducing a new programme to help the economy withstand the hit from the coronavirus pandemic worth $9.33 billion to $10.67 billion, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Thursday, reports Reuters.

Faced with unknown crisis which brought the global economy to sudden stop, the recent policy discourse has been dominated & rightly so, by the impact of the #COVID19 pandemic: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das during his virtual address at 4th FEDAI Annual Day https://t.co/GaDZnCEry3 pic.twitter.com/JfWqBDvaD1

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020

Uttarakhand government revises the RT-PCR testing price cap in government and private laboratories to ₹850 and ₹900 (inclusive of sample collection by private labs). The testing was earlier priced between ₹1,400 and ₹1,650: State Health Secretary

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020

Delhi Government informs Delhi High Court that there is no decision yet on imposing any kind of curfew, but it is under active consideration depending on the #COVID19 situation.

The response came on court's query over plans to impose night or weekend curfews like other cities.

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday visit the Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which has partnered with global pharma giant AstraZeneca and the Oxford University for Covid-19 vaccine, a senior official said on Thursday, reports PTI.

Odisha's Covid-19 tally rose to 3,16,645 on Thursday as 644 more people tested positive for the infection, a health official said, reports PTI.

60.50% of 524 case fatalities reported in last 24hrs are concentrated Delhi, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Haryana, Punjab & UP. Maharashtra, Delhi, UP & West Bengal are the common states among the top 6 states contributing maximum to new cases as well as daily deaths: Govt of India https://t.co/mxRuTdUM4Q

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020

Arunachal Pradesh's Covid-19 tally rose to 16,174 on Thursday as 30 more people, including an Army jawan, tested positive for the infection, a health official said, reports PTI.

Six members of the Pakistan cricket squad in New Zealand have tested positive for Covid-19 and have been moved from managed isolation into quarantine, reports AP.

Following the state government's guidelines to screen every passenger coming from Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and Goa for Covid-19 symptoms, the Pune district administration has deputed a team of doctors and health officials at Railway Station to perform the duty, report PTI.

The positivity rate in Delhi has come down to 8.5% in the last 3 weeks. A vaccine will hopefully soon be out. Until we are completely assured of the situation being in control, no schools will reopen: Satyendar Jain, Delhi Health Minister pic.twitter.com/lWZmjy6OvL

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2020