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:
As 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.
A mega vaccination drive is being undertaken in Assam that aims to inoculate about seven lakh people today to mark the 71st birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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.
As the government raced to deliver a vaccination record on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday today, the country clocked over 42,000 vaccinations a minute, a senior health official said.
A third dose of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE Covid vaccine can dramatically reduce rates of Covid-related illness in people 60 and older, according to data from a short-term study in Israel.
China has fully vaccinated more than one billion people against the coronavirus -- 71 percent of its population -- official figures showed Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that dozens of people in his entourage had tested positive for the coronavirus before he went into self-isolation.
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.
Australian officials will trial a home quarantine system for fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Sydney, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, as the country moves to reopen its borders despite persistent COVID-19 cases.
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."
The Congress on Thursday cited a recent media report to allege "criminal culpability" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and senior officials of the ICMR in fudging COVID-19 data "to build a false narrative.
Moderna Inc. said that a new analysis of the late-stage clinical trial of its Covid-19 vaccine found a higher rate of breakthrough cases in people who got shots early in the study.
A link between changes in the menstrual cycle and COVID-19 vaccination is plausible, and must be investigated, according to an editorial published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal today.
Brazil's federal government wants to halt COVID-19 vaccinations for most of the country's adolescents, citing adverse events and a death under investigation after some 3.5 million teens have already been immunized.
A British study will look into the immune responses of children to mixed schedules of different COVID-19 vaccines as officials try to determine the best approach to second doses in adolescents given a small risk of heart inflammation.
As festival season approaches, government on Thursday cautioned against a spike in Covid infections, and stressed that the call of hour is vaccine acceptance, maintenance of Covid-appropriate behaviour, responsible travel and responsible festivities.
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.
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.