COVID-19: The number of active cases has dropped to 3,42,923
India recorded 34,403 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, 12.5 per cent higher than yesterday, Union Health Ministry bulletin showed. The active cases account for 1.02 per cent of the overall cases in the country (3,33,47,325) recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.
In the past 24 hours, Kerala recorded 17,681 fresh Covid cases whereas Maharashtra reported 3,783 new cases. While Maharashtra has the highest overall cases, the surge in Kerala has been a cause of national worry.
Globally, over 22.63 crore total infections have been reported so far and over 46.5 lakh people have died.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Over 7 lakh people vaccinated in Assam on PM's birthdayA total of 7,09,524 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in Assam on Friday as the state government undertook a mega inoculation drive on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, a bulletin said.
Over 2.16 crore people have been immunised, and 44.02 lakh of them got both doses of the vaccines, it said.
The special drive was conducted in 4,575 COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs), of which 4,557 were government sites and 18 private ones.
PM Praises Frontline, Health Workers As India Administers Over 2 Crore DosesAs India set a new record on Friday by administering over 2 crores COVID-19 vaccine doses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the success of the vaccination drive to the country's doctors, innovators, administrators, nurses, healthcare and all front-line workers.
"Every Indian would be proud of today's record vaccination numbers. I acknowledge our doctors, innovators, administrators, nurses, healthcare and all front-line workers who have toiled to make the vaccination drive a success. Let us keep boosting vaccination to defeat COVID-19," PM Modi tweeted.
COVID-19: Over 1.27 lakh women vaccinated in MumbaiA total of 1,27,351 women were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Mumbai during a special drive on Friday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.
Of these, 1,07,934 got their jabs at government and civic run centres, while the rest were inoculated in private ones, it said in a release.
According to the BMC, 1,09,86,083 citizens have been inoculated in the metropolis so far, with 33,31,640 getting the second dose well.
With 26.92 Lakh Doses, Karnataka Tops Covid Vaccination Drive In CountryKarnataka topped the Covid vaccination drive in the country on Friday by administering 26.92 lakh doses till 9 PM, Minister for Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education K Sudhakar said.
The State stood first in the country ahead of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which achieved over 26.62 lakh doses and 24.86 lakh doses respectively, his office said in a release.
According to data released by the state health department at 8:30 pm, Karnataka had achieved 85 per cent coverage by administering 26,92,955 doses, against the target of 31,75,000.
Gujarat reports 25 COVID-19 cases; 22.5 lakh get vaccine jabs
Gujarat reported 25 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours which took the tally of infections in the state to 8,25,702, a health official said on Friday evening.
With no fatality reported during the day due to the pandemic, the death toll remained unchanged at 10,082. Of total 154 active cases, seven patients are on ventilator.
The tally of recoveries stands at 8,15,466 with 20 persons getting discharged during the day.
Setting a new record for daily inoculations, 22.5 lakh persons received COVID-19 vaccine jabs in the state on Friday.
No new cases of COVID-19 were registered in the adjoining Union Territory of Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu in the last 24 hours, said a release by the local authorities, adding that one patient recovered during the day.
Karnataka tops the vaccination drive
Karnataka topped the COVID vaccination drive in the country on Friday by administering 26.92 lakh doses till 9 PM, Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education K Sudhakar said.
The State stood first in the country ahead of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which achieved over 26.62 lakh doses and 24.86 lakh doses respectively, his office said in a release.
According to data released by the state health department at 8:30 pm, Karnataka had achieved 85 per cent coverage by administering 26,92,955 doses, against the target of 31,75,000.
"I would like to thank all the health workers and other staff who have been involved in this historic vaccination drive," Sudhakar said.
29 fresh COVID-19 cases in Punjab
Punjab on Friday reported 29 fresh coronavirus cases that pushed its infection tally to 6,01,206, according to a medical bulletin. The deaths remained unchanged at 16,467, the bulletin stated.
Of the latest cases, Amritsar reported six, Pathankot five and Jalandhar four.
There are 309 active COVID-19 cases in Punjab, the bulletin said.
Thirty-one more people recovered from the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,84,430, it said.
Over 23.79 lakh people inoculated against COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh
Over 23.79 lakh persons were inoculated against COVID-19 till 8 pm during the mega vaccination campaign organised by the Madhya Pradesh government to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday on Friday, an official said.
As per the figures released by the government, at least 23,79,829 people had taken the COVID-19 vaccine shots in the state under the mega campaign 3.0 till 8 pm. The number is likely to increase, as the drive will continue till late in the night, it was stated.
The state had set a target to vaccinate over 32 lakh persons on the occasion of the Prime Minister's birthday.
The state had earlier created a record by inoculating 28.50 lakh persons in a day.
Maharashtra logs 3,586 COVID-19 cases, 67 deaths
Maharashtra on Friday reported 3,586 new coronavirus infections and 67 fatalities, taking the caseload to 65,15,111 and deaths to 1,38,389, a health department official said.
As many as 4,410 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recoveries to 63,24,720. There are 48,451 active cases in the state now. As many as 2,81,072 people are in home quarantine and 1,813 in institutional quarantine.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 97.08 per cent, while the fatality rate is 2.12 per cent. The number of coronavirus tests conducted in the state thus far climbed to 5,67,09,128 after 1,79,246 samples were tested during the day.
Mumbai city reported 472 new cases and three deaths, taking its infection tally to 7,37,200 and death toll to 16,042.
1,003 new COVID-19 cases, 18 deaths in Karnataka
Karnataka logged 1,003 fresh COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths on Friday, taking the total number of infections to 29,66,194 and the deaths to 37,573.
The day also saw 1,199 discharges, taking the total number of recoveries in the state so far to 29,12,633. Bengaluru Urban topped in the number of new infections with 310, as the city saw 276 discharges and six deaths. The total number of active cases in the state stood at 15,960.
While the positivity rate for the day stood at 0.67 per cent, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) was 1.79 per cent.
Behind Bengaluru Urban in the fatality count was Belagavi (3), Dakshina Kannada (2), followed by others.
Delhi reports 33 new COVID-19 cases, one death
Delhi recorded 33 new COVID-19 cases and 56 recoveries in the last 24 hours. According to the Delhi government health bulletin, one death was reported due to the disease. There are 407 active COVID-19 cases in the city.
The total number of cases in the national capital has gone up to 14,38,428, of which 14,12,936 have recovered while 25,085 people succumbed to the viral infection. The fatality rate in the city is 1.74 per cent.
The daily positivity rate in the city is at 0.04 per cent, while the cumulative positivity rate is at 5.36 per cent.
In the last 24 hours, 74,099 COVID tests were conducted in the city taking the total number of tests conducted so far to 2,68,21,280.
Schools for Classes 8-10 students re-open in Karnataka
After months of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka opened on Friday for 8-10th standard students.
A fair number of students attended the first day's physical classes, said sources in the Education Department. Some schools reported over 60 per cent attendance.
The classes for sixth and seventh standards would begin on September 20.
As per the instructions from the district administration, schools have to arrange proper sanitation and basic facilities. Schools have also been asked to arrange for the accommodation of students arriving from neighbouring Kerala.
The administration has also asked the staff and teachers to attend schools with RT-PCR test negative report.
India crosses record 2 crore vaccinations in big push on PM Modi's 71st birthday
COVID-19: Puducherry adds 86 fresh cases, overall tally rises to 1,25,256
The union territory of Puducherry logged 86 new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,25,256, the Director of Health G. Sriramulu said on Friday.
The new cases were identified at the end of the examination of 5,057 samples, he said, adding they were spread over Puducherry (46), Karaikal (23), Mahe (15) and Yanam (two).
Thailand reports 14,555 new COVID-19 cases
Thailand on Friday reported 14,555 new COVID-19 cases and 171 more fatalities, according to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Of the new infections, 2,911 cases were detected in the capital city of Bangkok.
The number of the country's total infections has risen to more than 1.44 million while that of deaths climbed to 15,124, according to the CCSA.
It said more than 95 per cent of the new deaths recorded were among senior patients aged 60 or above and patients with underlying diseases.
Thailand has been accelerating vaccine roll-out as it gears up for a wider reopening to fully-vaccinated foreign visitors next month, amid the government's efforts to revive the tourism sector and strike a balance between ensuring people's lives and livelihood.
Pakistan Reports Over 2,928 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In Last 24 Hours
Pakistan reported 2,928 fresh cases of COVID-19 after 57,626 tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours. As many as 68 deaths were reported due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate fell to 5.08 per cent, as compared to the previous day's 5.30 per cent.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Mizoram Logs 1,121 New COVID-19 Cases
With 1,121 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, Mizoram's positivity rate currently stands at 14.36 per cent. The state also reported four new deaths in the same time period. Currently, there are 13,888 active cases in the state. With this, the tally of cases stands at 76,591 including 62,449 recoveries and 254 deaths.
Kerala Reports 68% Of Total Covid Cases In India: Health Ministry
Almost 68 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases reported in India are from Kerala, said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Thursday. Addressing a press conference, Mr Bhushan said, "Almost 68 per cent of the total cases reported nationally are from Kerala. Kerala has over 1.99 lakh active cases, while five other states -- Mizoram, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra -- have more than 10,000 active cases. The weekly positivity rate for the last 11 weeks is below 3 per cent."
Italy extends Covid 'green pass' to workplaces
Italy on Thursday made its anti-Covid "green pass" obligatory for all employees, in a bid to boost vaccine rates ahead of the winter flu season.
The law, which will penalise workers who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of a recent negative coronavirus test, is set to come into effect on October 15.
"We're extending the 'green pass' obligation to the entire world of work, both public and private," Health Minister Roberto Speranza told a press conference after the government took the decision.
Jharkhand to reopen schools for classes 6 to 8
With a continuous decline in COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand, the state government on Thursday allowed schools to conduct offline classes for class 6-8 from September 20.
Keeping in view all the COVID-19 protocols, the state government has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to schools.
According to the notice issued by Jharkhand Disaster Management Division, schools will now operate a blended mode of education in the state, that is, online as well as offline classes.