India's total tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 3,04,58,251 with 46,617 new infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries have crossed 2.95 crores, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The death count increased to 4,00,312 with 853 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson said that its single-shot coronavirus vaccine neutralizes the fast-spreading delta variant and provides durable protection against infection more broadly.
The company said in a statement Thursday that recipients of its vaccine produced strong neutralizing antibodies over the course of at least eight months against all variants including delta, which was first seen in India and has been spreading around the globe.
Here are the Highlights on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 tests should be carried out in schools in some circumstances to avoid the "harmful" effects of closures and remote learning.
"The summer months offer a valuable window of opportunity for governments to put in place the right set of measures that will help keep infection rates down and avoid resorting to school closures," Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, said in a statement issued together with UNICEF and UNESCO.
He added that closing schools "as we have seen, have such a harmful effect on the education, social and mental well-being of our children and youth."
Flexible and agile vaccination strategies can play a vital role in protecting lives in India as COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, according to a latest Lancet report.
The report ''Responsive and Agile Vaccination Strategies Against COVID-19 in India'' published by the Lancet Global Health on Friday highlighted the importance of sentinel site based surveillance and detection of early warning signal through test positivity ratio (TPR).
The COVID-19 toll in West Bengal rose to 17,158 after 23 fatalities were registered in the state on Friday, the health department said in its bulletin.
As many as 1,422 fresh cases pushed the tally to 15,02,706, the department said.
North 24 Parganas district accounted for eight deaths and the city for five fatalities, the bulletin said.
Assam reported 27 COVID-19 deaths and 2,453 new cases on Friday, pushing the coronavirus caseload to 5,13,606, according to the bulletin of the National Health Mission. The death count increased to 4,604 while the number of active cases in the state currently is 23,914.
Jharkhand reported 88 new #COVID19 cases and 111 recoveries today, taking the total cases to 3,45,794 in the state. Active cases at 831 pic.twitter.com/MW3AzOtUS2
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
The COVID-19 count of Chhattisgarh increased by 305 to reach 9,95,195, while the day also saw seven deaths, which took the death count to 13,450, an official said. The number of recoveries reached 9,76,125 after 85 people were discharged from hospitals and 382 completed home isolation during the day, leaving the state with 5,620 active cases, the official said.
Haryana reports 76 new #COVID cases, 148 recoveries and 15 deaths.
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
Active cases: 1,293
Total recoveries: 7,58,046
Death toll: 9,461 pic.twitter.com/sCgmTP8guO
India's cumulative COVID Vaccination Coverage exceeded 34.41 crore (34,41,00,158). Of which, 38,88,643 vaccine doses were administered today as per the 7 pm provisional report: Union Health Ministry
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
Maharashtra reports 8,753 new COVID cases, 8,385 discharges, and 156 deaths in the past 24 hours
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
Active cases: 1,16,876
Total discharges: 58,36,920
Recovery rate: 96.01% pic.twitter.com/Cyr2fLoPkS
Sikkim reported 111 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing the caseload to 20,777, a health department bulletin said. The coronavirus death count in Sikkim remained at 308 as no fatality was reported in the past 24 hours, it said. Sikkim now has 2,062 active COVID-19 cases, while 253 patients have migrated to other states, and 18,154 people have recovered from the disease.
Uttarakhand reports 109 #COVID19 cases, 108 recoveries and 2 deaths today.
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
Active cases: 1,864
Total recoveries: 3,25,361
Death toll: 7,327 pic.twitter.com/5gmvuUqTAy
State level curfew extended till 7 am, 12 July 2021. Shops can remain open from 7 am to 6 pm. Saloons and outdoor sports complex/stadiums may also open: Goa CM, Pramod Sawant
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
(file photo) pic.twitter.com/WhhrRRCEiT
Union Health Ministry approves the vaccination of pregnant women against #COVID19. Pregnant women may now register on CoWIN or walk-in to the nearest COVID Vaccination Centre (CVC) to get themselves vaccinated, says the Ministry pic.twitter.com/1iqwktSErX
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
India's economy is growing, and our exports are also growing. India recorded the highest ever exports in the first quarter of April-June 2021, despite the severity of the second wave of COVID19: Union Minister Piyush Goyal pic.twitter.com/AJwNrot90B
- ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2021
Only equipped for basic health care, her facility has had to treat COVID-19 patients even though it lacks the life-saving ventilators and intensive care units they sometimes require, reuters reported.
fatalities rose to eight, PTI reported.
While speaking to ANI, State government spokesperson Subodh Uniyal told that the government has decided to cancel the Kanwar Yatra as a precautionary measure.
46,617 Fresh #COVID19 Cases In India
- NDTV (@ndtv) July 2, 2021
Read more: https://t.co/8fsxAp0j1e pic.twitter.com/U3GCdME8uo
Voicing concern over many countries failing to vaccinate their people, WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday called for vaccinating at least 10 per cent of the population of every country by September as he emphasised that vaccination is the best way to control the pandemic and reboot the global economy.
"Vast inequities in the access to vaccines are fuelling a two-track pandemic. While some countries have reached a high level of coverage, many others don't have enough to vaccinate health workers, older people & other at-risk groups," the World Health Organisation Director General said in a virtual address to India Global Forum.
