Highlights: Germany has not yet identified Covid mutation reported in Britain

Tamil Nadu's Covid-19 tally went over 806,000 after 1,114 new cases and 15 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The active cases have climbed to 9,593 while 785,315 people have recovered till now, reports ANI.

Health minister Matt Hancock said on Sunday that London and southeast England might stay under tighter curbs for some time to stem a fast-spreading new Covid strain, reports Reuters.

German health minister Jens Spahn told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday that the country has not detected the new coronavirus strain that has been identified in Britain adding that all flights from the United Kingdom will be suspended from midnight, reports Reuters.

Our first priority has been safety and effectiveness of vaccines. We don't want to compromise on that. I personally feel, maybe in any week of January, we can be in a position to give first Covid vaccine shot to people of India, news agency ANI quotes Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan as saying.

Several European countries including Germany, Belgium place new restrictions on travel to and from the United Kingdom on Sunday due to concern over a new strain of the coronavirus that is spreading rapidly there.

Germany plans to restrict travel to and from Britain. It's latest European country to announce restrictions in an effort to halt the spread of a new, more transmissible coronavirus variant. https://t.co/nikoqxoOvV

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 20, 2020

Union health ministry calls urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group on Monday to discuss emergence of mutated variant of coronavirus in UK, which has led to a surge in infection rate in England.

Kerala on Sunday recorded 5,711 fresh cases of Covid-19 and 30 related deaths, taking the total number of those affected in the state by the virus to 7.05 lakh.

#BREAKING Italy says will suspend flights from UK over virus variant pic.twitter.com/Z2DrmXn7Hj

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 20, 2020

British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that the government has imposed a strict Christmas lockdown in London and southeast England because a new strain of the coronavirus was "out of control".

Hancock warned that the strict measures could stay in place until the virus vaccine is fully rolled out.

South Korea reported a record 1,097 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including an outbreak in a Seoul prison that infected 188 as the country's latest wave of Covid-19 worsens.

With daily infections over 1,000 for a fifth consecutive day, some medical experts and politicians criticised the government for being too loose with social distancing rules.

Indonesia recorded its highest Covid-19 daily death toll of 221 on Sunday, taking the total number of deaths in the Southeast Asian nation to 19,880, data from the country’s Covid-19 taskforce showed, reports Reuters.

The Netherlands is banning flights from the UK for at least the rest of the year in an attempt to make sure that a new strain of coronavirus that is sweeping across southern England does not reach its shores, reports AP.

Russia reported 28,948 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, including 7,263 in Moscow, taking the national toll to 2,848,377, reports Reuters.

Odisha recorded 372 new #COVID19 cases, 362 recoveries and 4 deaths on December 19, as per State Health Department

Total cases: 3,26,233

Total recoveries: 3,21,309

Active cases: 3,035

Death toll: 1,836

— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2020

Israel on Sunday began its coronavirus inoculation drive, aiming to vaccinate some 60,000 people a day in a bid to stamp out the illness that is once again surging among its population, reports AP.