India reported less than 20,000 Covid cases for the second day in a row, recording 18,870 new cases, just marginally higher than yesterday's figures (18,795), and taking the cumulative infections to 3,37,16,451, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The country saw a jump in daily deaths over a 24-hour period - from 179 deaths yesterday, it touched 378 today, taking total deaths to 4,47,751.
Active cases declined to 2,82,520, the lowest in 194 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.
The active cases comprise 0.84 per cent of the total infections - the lowest since March 2020 - while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.83 per cent - the highest since March 2020. A decrease of 9,686 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate - number of positive cases identified per 100 - stands at 1.25 per cent less than 3 per cent for last 30 days.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 87 crore, the Union health ministry said.
Here are the highlights on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
The Himachal Pradesh government will provide compensation of Rs 50,000 to the family of each of those who died due to COVID-19, a state official said on Wednesday, reported PTI.
The state government notified the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) of all the 12 districts as disbursement authority for the compensation, director-cum-special secretary of revenue-disaster management Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said.
Punjab on Wednesday reported one Covid-related death and 26 fresh cases, a medical bulletin said.
So far, the total number of coronavirus cases reported in the state is 6,01,600, it stated.
Goa reported 83 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday which took its caseload to 1,76,318, a health department official said.
With four patients succumbing during the day, death count due to the pandemic reached 3,312.
With 5,249 samples tested during the day, the total of coronavirus tests conducted in the state went up to 13,48,354.
Family Welfare Director and Odisha vaccination in charge Dr Bijay Panigrahi on Wednesday said that the state has administered more than 3 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccination to the people and targets to vaccinate all residents with the first dose by end of this year.
He further informed that 70 per cent of the state's population has been given the first dose and 27 per cent of people have been administered the second dose.
Panigrahi said, "We have also fixed a target of 4 lakh vaccinations per day and on average we are doing more than 3 lakhs every day."
Congress leader and social activist Govind Patel, using the power of social media, stressed on the Rajasthan Government's Covid-related schemes to help people amid the pandemic.
Govind with assistance from the IT Cell of Sikar Congress launched the campaign of #SikarCongressHelpDesk on Twitter and Facebook with the idea to alleviate people stuck in times of need. The district administration had honoured him for his acts of kindness regarding the same.
Utilizing the power of social media, Govind made sure that all the state's guidelines and protocols during Covid reach the general public and are followed without any lag. Helping people in saving their own lives as well as the lives of their close ones is something which Govind had tirelessly worked towards.
New Zealand's daily coronavirus cases jumped to their highest level in weeks on Wednesday, a setback to the South Pacific nation's battle to eliminate the highly infectious Delta variant from its shores.
Some of India's private hospitals have cancelled orders for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine as they struggle to sell COVID-19 shots amid surging supplies of free doses of other vaccines offered by the government.
Puducherry logged 93 fresh cases of COVID-19 today, taking the total caseload to 1,26,308.
Arunachal Pradesh's COVID-19 caseload rose to 54,444 as 49 more people tested positive for the virus, a senior health official said today.
Out of the 18,870 new Covid cases reported in India in the last 24 hours, Kerala alone accounts for 11,196 of them.
#Karnataka | It's been a month since schools reopened for higher grades with #COVID19 protocols. NDTV's Maya Sharma speaks to students, faculty of a Bengaluru school pic.twitter.com/mPWfWDX0ER
- NDTV (@ndtv) September 29, 2021
A man was administered an anti-rabies medicine instead of COVID-19 vaccine at a medical centre in Maharashtra's Thane district, following which a doctor and a nurse of the facility were suspended, a civic official said.
India reported less than 20,000 Covid cases for the second day in a row. It reported 18,870 new cases, just marginally higher than yesterday's figures (18,795). The country saw a jump in daily deaths over a 24-hour period - from 179 deaths yesterday, to 378 today.
#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/8ujhrZjgHE
- NDTV (@ndtv) September 29, 2021
From shoes and sweaters to car parts and coffee, Vietnam's strict and lengthy coronavirus lockdown has sparked product shortages among worldwide brands such as Nike and Gap which have grown increasingly dependent on the Southeast Asian nation's manufacturers.
The country's drug regulator today allowed vaccine maker Serum Institute to enrol kids aged 7-11 years for its trial of US drugmaker Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine.
Jharkhand government on Tuesday launched 60 Vaccine Express vehicles to speed up the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the state. These ''Vaccine Express'' vehicles were flagged off by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren with an aim to vaccinate around 12,000 people per day. Launched for all 24 districts of the state, these vehicles would move around the rural areas and will be stationed at other areas, as per requirement.
Stressing that Covid may continue to transmit for a "very long time", WHO official Poonam Khetrapal Singh says the level of immunity in a community, through vaccination and previous infection, will determine whether it will become endemic in long run.
India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 87 crores on Tuesday evening, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
"India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 87 crore (87,61,89,412) today. More than 49 lakh (49,45,169) vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm today. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight," read the official release from the Ministry.
A total of 1,630 fresh COVID-19 infections, 1,643 recoveries and 17 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu in the last 24 hours, reported PTI.
According to the state's health department, the cumulative cases recorded in the state are 26,60,553 including 17,231 active cases.