Covid-19 Cases in India: India has administered over 94 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses till now. (File)
India saw a single-day rise of 19,740 COVID-19 infections, taking the country's total tally of cases to 3,39,35,309, while the number of active cases has declined to 2,36,643, the lowest in 206 days, according to Union health ministry data. The death count has climbed to 4,50,375 with 248 more fatalities.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 94 crore, the health ministry said. The daily rise in new coronavirus cases has been below 30,000 for 15 straight days, it said.
The active cases have declined to 2,36,643 and comprise 0.70 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March last year. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 97.98 per cent, the highest since March last year, the ministry said.
Here are Highlights on Coronavirus Cases In India :
Andhra Pradesh logs 693 new COVID-19 cases
Andhra Pradesh reported 693 fresh COVID-19 cases and 6 fatalities in the past 24 hours, informed the state health department on Friday.
With this, the total number of coronavirus cases in the state reached 20,55,999 including 8,310 active infections.
With 927 new recoveries, the number of recovered patients from COVID-19 in the state mounted to 20,33,447.
As many as 4,31,33,856 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state.
Delhi records 30 fresh COVID-19 cases, positivity rate 0.05%
Delhi on Saturday recorded 30 fresh COVID-19 cases, while the positivity rate stood at 0.05 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.
No fresh deaths were reported in the national capital, the health department bulletin stated.
According to official data, only one death due to coronavirus infection has been recorded so far this month. Last month, five deaths were recorded.
With the 30 fresh cases, Delhi's infection tally increased to 14,39,166. The deaths stands at 25,088, the bulletin stated.
On Friday, the national capital had recorded 39 cases with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent.
Uttarakhand directs officials to ensure adherence to Covid-19 protocols in schools
The Uttarakhand government on Saturday directs officials to strictly ensure that Covid-19 protocols are being followed in the schools in the state after a student in the Gopeshwar area of Chamoli district tested positive for the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, 3,43,645 Covid-19 cases have been reported in the state so far including 166 active cases. Also, 1,06,82,064 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the state so far.
7,396 people have died due to the virus in the state.
Assam logs 273 new COVID-19 cases, 5 fresh fatalities
Assam's COVID-19 tally rose to 6,04,809 on Saturday as 273 more people tested positive for the infection, while five fresh fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus deaths to 5,921, a health bulletin said.
Kamrup Metropolitan district registered the highest number of new cases at 107, followed by Jorhat (26) and Barpeta (20).
One fresh fatality each was recorded in Darrang, Golaghat, Kamrup Metropolitan, Sivasagar and Sonitpur districts.
The state now has 2,690 active cases, while 5,94,851 people have recovered from the disease so far, including 345 in the last 24 hours, and 1,347 patients have died due to comorbidities to date.
The recovery rate among the coronavirus patients in the state stood at 98.35 per cent, while the mortality rate was at 0.98 per cent.
COVID-19 vaccination coverage crosses 94.62 crore
India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 94.62 crore on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
More than 60 lakh vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm today, as per the ministry.
"The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight," said MoHFW.
Kerala reports 9470 new COVID-19 cases, 101 deaths
Kerala reported a total of 9,470 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health bulletin issued by the State Health Department on Saturday.
According to the department, 12,881 patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the tally to 46,44,211.
With and 101 more deaths, the death tally mounted to 26,173.
Maharashtra logs 2,486 COVID-19 cases, 44 fatalitiesMaharashtra on Saturday reported 2,486 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the tally of infections to 65,75,578 while 44 fatalities pushed the count to 1,39,514, the health department said.
A total of 2,446 patients were discharged during the day, taking the number of recoveries in Maharashtra to 63,99,464, it said in a statement. Maharashtra is now left with 33,006 active cases.
With 1,42,647 new tests, the number of samples tested so far in Maharashtra went up to 6,00,57,326.
Covid - Will Accept WHO-Approved Covid Vaccines For International Visitors: USThe United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by US regulators or the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late on Friday.
On September 20, the White House announced the United States in November would lift travel restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It did not specify then which vaccines would be accepted.
Coronavirus Live Updates: Singapore expands quarantine-free travelSingapore is opening its borders to more countries for quarantine-free travel as the city-state seeks to rebuild its status as an international aviation hub, and prepares to reach a "new normal" to live with COVID-19.
From October 19 fully vaccinated people from eight countries, including Britain, France, Spain and the United States, will be able to enter the island without quarantining if they pass their COVID-19 tests, the government said on Saturday. The announcement marks a major step in Singapore's strategy to resume international links.
English rock band postpones UK tour dates over positive Covid testsEnglish rock group Genesis has been forced to cancel four UK tour dates after band members tested positive for coronavirus ahead of shows in London and Glasgow. The band, which found massive international success in the 1980s, said in a statement on Friday they were "devastated" the show that evening and performances over the following three days would not go ahead.
The statement did not say whether the positive tests had impacted plans for Genesis' upcoming North America tour, which is due to start in Chicago on November 15.
COVID-19 update: Maharashtra minister seeks QR code to identify buildings with fully vaccinated peopleMaharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray called for designing a quick response or QR code to identify buildings in Mumbai where all eligible residents have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus. Mr Thackeray was speaking at a review meeting called to seek inputs for drawing up a strategy to tackle COVID-19, increase vaccination and control vector-borne diseases in Mumbai.
A statement issued by the minister's office said Mr Thackeray requested the Brihanamumbai Municipal Corporation to create a special logo with a QR code that could be displayed at the entry gates of residential and commercial buildings.
Fiji to reopen for tourism as it hits Covid vaccine milestoneFiji will ease Covid-19 restrictions and announce its reopening for international travel after the country hit a vaccination milestone Saturday. Changes to the country's virus restrictions would be announced on Sunday afternoon after 80 percent of the adult population received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said.
"A full three weeks ahead of schedule! I'm grateful to everyone who's rolled up their sleeves to help make Fiji safe," Bainimarama said in a tweet. "I'll announce the easing of Covid restrictions at home and our plan to reopen Fiji to the world."
No new COVID-19 case in Andaman & Nicobar IslandsThe union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands did not record any new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, a health department official said. The COVID-19 tally in the archipelago remained at 7,629, he said.
The union territory now has 10 active COVID-19 cases and all the patients are in the South Andaman district. The other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are now COVID-19 free.
COVID-19 News Updates: India at UN says will ramp up production capacity as new Indian vaccines come on stream
India has informed the UN that it will ramp up its production capacity as new Indian vaccines come on stream, emphasising that the supply chains of raw materials must be kept open as COVID-19 vaccines need to reach every corner of the globe. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti on Friday said that India has provided medical related assistance and subsequently, vaccines to numerous countries all over the world.
Coronavirus Live Updates: Singapore says COVID-19 "new normal" could take up to 6 monthsSingapore may need as much as six months to get to a "new normal" in terms of easing restrictions and people resuming their previous routines in the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Saturday. "It will take us at least three months, and perhaps as long as six months, to get there," Loong said in an address to the island nation.
The Southeast Asia city-state with a population of 5.45 million has been reporting more than 3,000 daily COVID-19 infections over the past few days, though almost all of them are asymptomatic or mild. More than 80% of the population is fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 News Updates: Australia braces for more COVID-19 infections as country moves towards re-openingAustralia was bracing for more COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations, officials said on Saturday, even as it moves toward gradually easing pandemic restrictions with the vast majority of its people getting vaccinated against the virus.
Sydney, in a lockdown for more than 100 days, is to ease some key restrictions for the fully vaccinated from Monday. More than 70% of people across New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, have been fully vaccinated https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-readies-exit-lockdown-amid-concerns-over-faster-reopening-plans-2021-10-07.
"We know that as we open up, case numbers will increase," said New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet. "But what has been key to keeping people safe is our high vaccination rate."
Coronavirus Cases Updates: Latin America's Covid death count surpasses 1.5 million: ReportLatin America's death count from Covid-19 surpassed 1.5 million Friday, according to an AFP tally drawn from official figures. The count is at least 1,500,350 deaths, with more than 45 million cases of the virus recorded.
Brazil in particular surpassed 600,000 deaths on Friday, the second hardest hit country after the United States. After Brazil come Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Argentina in terms of deaths.
Hungary, Serbia Agree To Recognise India's Covid Vaccine Certificate: CentreHungary and Serbia agreed for mutual recognition of India's COVID-19 vaccination certificate, informed Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
He said that the recognition of the vaccination certificates will cater to help people move across countries for education, business, tourism and other things in the post-pandemic world.
"Yet another country recognizes India's vaccination certificate! Traditional friendship with Serbia translates into mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates!" Mr Bagchi said in a tweet.
Will Accept WHO-Approved Covid Vaccines For International Visitors: USThe United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said late on Friday.
On Sept. 20, the White House announced the United States in November would lift travel restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most of Europe who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It did not specify then which vaccines would be accepted.
A CDC spokeswoman told Reuters Friday, "Six vaccines that are FDA authorized/approved or listed for emergency use by WHO will meet the criteria for travel to the U.S."