India's COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 73.07 lakh with 67,735 new cases in a day, while 63,83,441 people have recuperated so far pushing the national recovery rate to 87.35 per cent on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 73,07,097 and the deaths climbed to 1,11,266 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 680 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data updated at 8 am showed. The COVID-19 case fatality rate has further declined to 1.52 per cent.
There are 812390 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 11.11 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,12,26,305 samples have been tested up to October 14 with 11,36,183 samples being tested on Wednesday.
Cinema halls in several parts of the country ready to open after seven months in the shadow of COVID-19. While theatres and multiplexes will remain closed in states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Chhattisgarh, they will open this week in several places, including Delhi and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with stringent dos and don'ts in keeping with the new COVID-19 normal.
Ushering in a new era of movie watching, the Union government allowed multiplexes, cinema halls and theatres to reopen from Thursday within the framework of a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) left it to states to take a final call on the matter.
PVR Cinemas, India's largest film exhibitor with 845 screens in 176 properties across 71 cities, on Wednesday said 10 states and four union territories have given their go-ahead for the reopening of cinemas.
Here are the Updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
The risk of being infected with the coronavirus on an airliner is very low if passengers wear masks, according to a study carried out aboard Boeing long-haul jets by the US military and published Thursday.
Researchers using sensors and fluorescent tracers measured the volume of airborne contagious matter emitted by a dummy simulating an infected person breathing normally.
The passengers most exposed to the infected person -- those just in front of, behind or beside the dummy -- were represented in the study by the sensors.
Some 300 test rounds were carried out on the ground and in flight over the course of eight straight days in August in cooperation with United Airlines on Boeing 767 and 777 jetliners.
In another tweet, he said, "Shanti" (peace). Interestingly, the WHO Director-General tweeted in Hindi.
Earlier, in a video message, the Director-General urged the countries to opt for "case finding, isolation, testing, compassionate care, contact tracing, quarantine, physical distancing, hand hygiene, masks, respiratory etiquette, ventilation, avoiding crowds and more" instead of herd immunity.
Delhi reported 3,324 new coronavirus cases and 44 deaths on Wednesday.
Delhi government said that 2,867 people recovered or were discharged in the last 24 hours.
The national capital's total COVID-19 count has risen to 3,17,548, including 5,898 deaths and 2,89,747 recoveries/discharges/migrations.
The active cases stand at 21,903.
Assam reported nine more COVID-19 fatalities, increasing the number of people succumbing to the virus to 843, even as the tally climbed to 1,98,982 with 769 fresh cases, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.
The overall positivity rate in the state stood at 4.68 per cent against total testing of 38,30,571 samples so far.
"We estimate that 11 million girls will be unable to go back to school around the world."
Accordingly, "we have launched an awareness campaign on the need for schools to go back to school," the former French culture minister said.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday had a video conference with Ambassador of European Union to India Ugo Astuto and envoys from 27 EU member states and outlined comprehensive steps taken by India to deal with COVID-19 and opportunities created in the wake of disruptions caused by the pandemic.
"Had an extended video conference with Ugo Astuto and Ambs from 27 EU Member States. I outlined comprehensive steps taken to deal with COVID19 in India under the visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modiji and opportunities created in the wake of disruptions caused by the pandemic," Mr Puri said in a tweet.
"We also covered several issues pertaining to civil aviation, development of infrastructure in cities and policy interventions implemented under AatmaNirbharBharat Abhiyan. Reforms undertaken across industries in India are creating an attractive environment for FDI," he added.
The iconic Kaziranga National Park in Assam will reopen from October 21 after being shut since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the monsoon season, officials said.
France registered 30,621 new coronavirus cases over the past day, a new one-day high, the country's public health agency said on Thursday.
Over the past 24 hours, 88 people have died from the coronavirus in the country, the agency added.
Prior to that, the largest number of detected COVID-19 cases per day was just above 26,000. On Wednesday, almost 23,000 new cases were reported.
Punjab reported 511 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday taking the total count of COVID-19 cases to 1,26,230.
The state Health Department said that 29 more people succumbed to the virus on Thursday taking the death toll in the state to 3,954. It said 1,111 people were discharged in the last 24 hours.
The state now has a total of 7,090 active cases while 1,15,186 patients have recovered.
The Health Department said that a total of 28,517 samples were tested for COVID-19.
Few bought tickets to view movies in Delhi's cinema halls, which reopened today with Covid-safety protocols after remaining shut for the last seven months. Unnerved by the lackluster footfall, theatre officials said they hope the turnout would increase over the weekend even with no new movies lined up for release.
A total of 813 COVID-19 Care coaches developed by the Indian Railways are currently in use in three states. As many as 900 patients have been treated in them so far, according to data from the national transporter.
As on October 14, there are 503 such coaches stationed in Delhi, 270 in Uttar Pradesh and 40 in Bihar.
Nashik's total coronavirus count rose to 87,888 on Thursday with the single-day addition of 697 cases, health officials said. The virus claimed nine more lives, which took the death toll in the district to 1,564, they said.
Maharashtra's COVID-19 caseload increased to 15,64,615 today. As many as 10,226 new cases were registered in the state, a health official said, adding, that the state reported 337 deaths due to the infection. The total death count stands at 41,196 in the state, he said.
The state of Karnataka recorded 8,477 fresh cases of coronavirus and 85 related fatalities today. The new cases took the total number of infections to 7.43 lakh and the toll to 10,283, the health department said on Thursday.
Madhya Pradesh has reported 1,308 fresh coronavirus positive cases today. The new cases push its caseload to 1,56,584, while 24 fatalities took the toll to 2,710, a health official said.
A total of 1,559 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's overall recovery count to 1,39,717.
As the countries continue to register news cases of coronavirus every day, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urged the leaders to maintain peace and focus on combatting against the virus and "not the vulnerable".
"It's a pandemic: go after the virus, not the vulnerable," said Mr Ghebreyesus on Twitter. In another tweet, he said, "Shanti" (peace). Interestingly, the WHO Director-General tweeted in Hindi. Read
Ladakh today reported 66 new coronavirus cases, taking the infection tally to 5,304, according to an official bulletin on Thursday.
As many as 56 patients have recovered from the disease in a span of 24 hours -- 36 patients in Leh and 20 in Kargil -- the bulletin said.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not celebrate his birthday on Friday in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state, an official statement said. "I am always indebted to the love and good wishes of the people of Odisha," Mr Patnaik said, according the statement.
An old picture of a newborn baby trying to 'remove' her doctor's surgical mask has become a viral hit amid the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic, which began earlier this year, introduced a new normal to the world where several countries have made face masks mandatory while stepping out to reduce the risk of infection. While most people comply with regulations and wear face coverings, these new must-have face accessories have invited anger and criticism for being uncomfortable.
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People in UK's capital city of London are facing more stringent coronavirus restrictions due to a rising number of cases, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday.
"It is my expectation that the government will announce today that London will shortly be moving into tier two or the high alert level of restrictions," he told the London Assembly.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned against any complacency in the coronavirus death rate, saying with the increasing number of cases, mortality would also rise.
New cases are hitting 100,000 daily in Europe. Nearly 20,000 infections were reported in Britain, while Italy, Switzerland and Russia were among nations with record case numbers.
While deaths globally have fallen to around 5,000 per day from April's peak exceeding 7,500, WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said caseloads were rising in intensive care units.
The COVID-19 tally of Nagaland went up to 7,416 after 53 more people tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, while 85 patients recovered from the infection taking the number of cured people to 5,855, Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom said.
"53 positive cases of COVID-19 were detected today. Kohima 25, Mon 14, Dimapur 10, Peren 2, and one each in Tuensang and Zunheboto districts," the Minister tweeted.
He also said that 80 patients recovered from COVID-19 in Kohima, three in Dimapur and two in Peren.
Nagaland's recovery rate is 78.95 per cent. The state now has 1,473 active cases, said Additional Director, Health and Family Welfare, Dr Denis Hangsing.
Altogether 27 COVID-19 infected patients have died so far and it is confirmed that 17 of them succumbed to the disease.
At least 181 more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Tripura on Wednesday, pushing the tally to 28,859, a health department official said.
The death count rose to 315 with one more person succumbing to the virus, he said.
West Tripura district, comprising state capital Agartala, has accounted for 170 COVID-19 deaths so far.
Tripura now has 3,503 active cases, while 25,018 people have recovered. Twenty-three patients have migrated to other states, the official said.
Pune district reported 1,237 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its case count to 3,10,430, a health official said on Wednesday evening.
The death countreached 7,297 with 47 fatalities.
"Of the 1,237 cases, 528 are in Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which has recorded 1,55,595 patients till now.
However, 1,413 patients were also discharged from city hospitals during the day," the official said.
Germany will introduce tougher measures on gatherings and mask-wearing to fight a surge in coronavirus infections, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday after talks with the heads of Germany's 16 federal states.
Europe's biggest economy will begin imposing limits on people gathering at events as well as mandatory mask wearing at crowded places when new infections in an area reach 35 per 100,000 in seven days, earlier than under the previous yardstick used of 50 per 100,000.
"I am convinced that what we do now in these days and weeks will be decisive for the question of how we come through this pandemic," Merkel said.
"We can see that ... infection rates are rising and that we have a very high infection rate in some regions," she added.
"We must therefore prevent an uncontrolled or exponential increase."
Karnataka government has allowed from Thursday the reopening of cinema halls and multiplexes, with 50 per cent seating capacity.The state government issued guidelines that include Thermal screening, social distancing, Seats that are ''Not to be occupied'' shall be marked as such during booking and proper sanitization.
As per the guidelines, No Exhibition of Film shall be allowed in containment zones.
Film exhibition activities through cinemas/theatres/multiplexes shall be governed as per the prevalent guidelines of Home Department, Health & Family Welfare department, Department of information and public relations and other related departments and District administrations.