India's COVID-19 tally of cases went past 69 lakh with 70,496 infections being reported in a day, while active cases of infection fell below 9 lakh after a month, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The total COVID-19 cases mounted to 69,06,151 and the death count reached 1,06,490, the data showed.
The total recoveries have surged to 59,06,069 pushing the recovery rate to 85.52 per cent, while there are 8,93,592 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 12.94 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
Here are the LIVE updates on Coronavirus cases:
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched "home isolation kit" in the presence of Health Minister Vishwajit Rane in Panaji on Friday, reported news agency ANI. Mr Sawant said that the kit will provide treatment and allow better monitoring of patients at the comfort of their home. "Launched Home Isolation Kits for COVID-19 patients who have opted for home isolation. The kit will provide treatment and allow better monitoring of patients at home comfort. This is another pro-people step in our COVID-19 management in the state," Mr Sawant said in a tweet. With this home isolation kit, the patient can start his own treatment from the first day onwards, he added.
Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 2,46,839 on Friday with 2,697 more people testing positive for the infection, while 17 fresh fatalities pushed the death count to 991, a health department official said, reported news agency PTI. At least 3,404 patients were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,20,388, which is 89.28 per cent of the state's caseload, he said.
Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee has been shifted to intensive care in a private hospital where he is undergoing treatment for COVID-19 after his health condition worsened, a senior doctor at the facility said on late Friday night, reported news agency PTI. The 85-year-old actor was at an "acute confusional stage" following which the neurologist advised him to be shifted to the ITU, he said. "Mr Chatterjee has been shifted to the ITU after he has been experiencing restlessness and reached an acute confusional stage. We have shifted him to the ITU for close monitoring. He is having several co-morbidities, that's why we need to be more careful," the doctor told news agency PTI. Soumitra Chatterjee was hospitalised on Tuesday after he tested positive for coronavirus.
At least 152 more people, including 24 security personnel, tested positive for coronavirus in Nagaland on Friday, taking the state's tally to 6,888, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said, reported news agency PTI. Of the fresh cases, 133 were reported from Dimapur, 15 from Kohima and one each from Peren, Mon, Longleng and Mokokchung districts, he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday tested negative for COVID-19, an official has said.
The report comes days after he shared the stage with Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu who has tested positive for the virus.
"Punjab CM@capt_amarinder's RT-PCR & RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) #COVID19 tests have both tested negative.
"He had shared the stage with his cabinet colleague Balbir Singh Sidhu, who had later tested Covid positive earlier this week," Amarinder Singh's media advisor Raveen Thukral tweeted Friday evening.
Delhi's cumulative COVID-19 infection count rose to 3.03 lakh, with the authorities reporting 2,860 new cases on Friday.
The national capital saw 39 fatalities, taking number of deaths to 5,692.
Delhi reported 39 deaths on Friday. The fatality count was 37 on Thursday and 35 on Wednesday.
The number of coronavirus patients in Maharshtra's Nashik increased by 796 on Friday, taking the total count 84,370. With this, the number of deaths due to the virus icreased by 14 to touch 1,498, an official said. He said 74,112 people have been discharged so far, including 1,001 on Friday.
The Chhattisgarh government has said that schools in the state will continue to remain closed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
The cabinet took a decision in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel here, a government spokesperson said.
Doctors and frontline healthcare workers at Delhi's Covid-dedicated Hindu Rao Hospital - run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) - have threatened to withdraw their services within 48 hours in protest against non-payment of salaries for almost 4 months.
The warning comes after a months-long symbolic protest, which did not disrupt services, failed to move the authorities towards the plight of Hindu Rao Hospital's Covid Warriors.
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The United Nations food agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to combat hunger and improve conditions for peace in areas affected by conflict.
The Rome-based organisation says it helps some 97 million people in about 88 countries each year, and that one in nine people worldwide still do not have enough to eat.
The famous Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram has been temporarily closed for devotees till October 15 as 12 staff members, including 10 priests, have tested positive for coronavirus.
"Daily pujas will be done by the 'tantri', but no 'darshan' will be allowed," Padmanabhaswamy Temple's Executive Officer Ratheeshan IAS said, adding that the 'tantri' usually heads only special ceremonies, but he will fill in now because both the chief priests have COVID-19.
"The decision was taken after two chief priests, eight sub-priests and two guards at the Padmanabhaswamy temple tested positive for coronavirus. They all were asymptomatic", Mr Ratheeshan added. Read
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today said the state government will rope in AYUSH doctors in providing treatment to COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms from next week.
"From next week, the government will involve AYUSH doctors in treating COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms, along with other government doctors," Mr Sawant said. "They would also be involved in post-COVID management of patients in the state," he added.
Australia reported its second straight day without any COVID-19 deaths on Friday, the longest stretch without any fatalities from the virus in three months.
Australian states and territories reported 16 cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from 28 on Thursday, and no deaths for two days, the first time Australia has gone 48 hours without a COVID-19 death since July 11.
The results cement optimism that Australia has contained a second wave of COVID-19 infections, Reuters reported.