Coronavirus cases in India: The COVID-19 case fatality rate was recorded at 1.52 per cent. (File)
India's COVID-19 caseload rose to 73,70,468 with 63,371 new infections being reported in a day, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 64 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 87.56 per cent, according to the Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
The coronavirus deaths climbed to 1,12,161 with the virus claiming 895 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. For eight days in a row, the active cases of COVID-19 remained below 9 lakh.
There are 8,04,528 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 10.92 per cent of the total caseload, while the recoveries have surged to 64,53,779, the data stated. The COVID-19 case fatality rate due COVID-19 was recorded at 1.52 per cent.
"India continues to have one of the lowest COVID-19 deaths per million population globally, currently pegged at 80," the ministry said.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India is expected to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a few months and the country should be in the process of delivering it to people in the next six months.
"We are very much into the vaccine development process...in the next few months at the most we should have a vaccine and in the next six months we should be in the process of delivering the vaccine to the people of India," he said.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases:
COVID-19: Sikkim reports 31 fresh casesSikkim reported 31 fresh novel coronavirus cases in the past one day taking the tally in the state to 3531, an official said on Friday.
A total of 3096 people have recovered from the disease, while the number of fatalities is 59 so far, state IEC member Sonam Bhutia said.
East Sikkim registered the highest number of 25 positive cases, while South Sikkim accounted for four cases and West Sikkim and North Sikkim reported one case each during the time.
As per the district-wise distribution of COVID-19 cases, East Sikkim reported 2572 cases followed by 706 in South Sikkim, 159 in West Sikkim and 13 in North Sikkim.
The mountain state has 295 active cases, he said adding 81 others have migrated from the state.
COVID-19: 1,072 cases, 41 deaths, 681 discharged in PuneThe number of COVID-19 cases in Pune increased by 1,072 in the last 24 hours, while the death
count rose by 41, an official said on Friday.
A total of 681 people were discharged during this period, he added.
The district's caseload is now 3,12,699, including 7,376 deaths, he said.
"Of the 1,072 cases, 489 were in PMC limits, which now has 1,56,633 cases, and 228 in Pimpri Chinchwad, where the overall count stands at 85,114," the official said.
Coronavirus news: Delhi government defends its decision to reserve 80% ICU beds for COVID-19 patients
Aam Aadmi Party Government defended its decision to reserve 80 per cent ICU capacity exclusively for COVID-19 patients in private hospitals before Delhi High Court on Friday and said that plea filed by private hospital association was an attempt to secure the financial interests of the member hospitals.
Countering the petition filed by Association of Healthcare Providers India challenging the local government decision, the Delhi Government said, "The association plea is wholly misplaced, baseless and an attempt on the part of the petitioner to mislead the court and looking to secure the financial interests of the member hospitals under the garb of expressing masked concerns over securing healthcare facilities for Non-Covid patients, to be able to levy arbitrary and exorbitant medical treatment fee and other such charges from critical COVID-19 patients."
In an affidavit filed through Delhi Government Standing Counsel Sanjoy Ghose and advocate Urvi Mohan, the government reiterated that the decision only covers 33 subject private hospitals and nursing homes, out of over 1,150 private nursing homes and hospitals across the national capital city.
COVID-19: Delhi records 22 more deaths, taking count to 5,946; infection tally 3.24 lakhThe national capital recorded 22 COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, taking the death count to 5,946, while 3,428 fresh cases took the infection tally to over 3.24 lakh, authorities said.
The fresh cases came out of the 58,145 COVID-19 tests conducted the previous day.
On October 10 and September 29 as well, 48 fatalities were reported in the city, the highest number of deaths recorded in a day since July 16, when Delhi saw 58 fatalities.
Twenty-two more fatalities have been recorded, taking the death count to 5,946, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
The tally of active cases on Friday slightly rose to 22,814 from 22,605 the previous day.
The total number of cases has climbed to 3,24,459, the bulletin added.
COVID-19: Odisha reports 2,138 new cases, 15 fatalitiesOdisha's COVID-19 tally on Friday mounted to 2,64,149 with 2,138 more people testing positive for the infection, while 15 more fatalities pushed the count to 1,104, a health department official said.
The state also registered the recovery of 2,850 patients taking the total number of cured people to 2,41, 385, which is 91.38 per cent of Odisha's caseload.
Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, recorded 361 new cases, followed by Cuttack (156) and Angul (151).
Taking to Twitter, the state health department said, "Regret to inform the demise of fifteen #COVID19 positive patients while under treatment in hospitals."
Two deaths each were registered in Khurda, Cuttack, Nabarangpur and Sambalpur, and one each in Bhadrak, Bargarh, Jagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Kendrapara, Puri and Sundargarh.
This apart, 53 other COVID-19 positive patients have died due to comorbidities, the official said.
Coronavirus news: Delhi temples prepare to welcome devotees during Navratri under COVID-19 shadowWith the auspicious Navratri festival starting on Saturday, temples in Delhi have geared up to handle the rush of devotees by putting in place several measures, including installation of sanitisation tunnels and banning offerings like flowers and 'prasad' to Goddess Durga, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kishor Chawla, chief executive officer of Katyayani Shaktipeeth temple in Chhatarpar, said the devotees will not be able to receive prasad in the temple premises.
Social distancing will be maintained in the entire temple complex, he said, adding that prasad will be given to the devotees in packets.
Entry of devotees not wearing masks is strictly prohibited, Mr Chawla asserted.
"We have installed two full body sanitisation tunnels at entry points of the temple. No devotee will be allowed to offer anything to the goddess like flowers or prasad," he added.
The famous Jhandewalan Devi Mandir authority has decided to send eight chariots equipped with the idols of the goddess to different localities across the city.
Next 2.5 months crucial in fight against coronavirus: Health Minister Harsh VardhanThe next two-and-a-half months are going to be crucial in the fight against coronavirus because of the winter season and festivals, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Friday.
Mr Vardhan, who is also Science and Technology Minister, said three vaccine candidates are progressing well in India with one of them in the advanced stage-III clinical trial and two others in stage-II trial.
He expressed hope that India will soon have indigenous production of vaccine against coronavirus.
"The next two-and-a-half months are going to be very crucial for us in our fight against corona because of the winter season and the festival season. It becomes the responsibility of every citizen to not let our guard down and follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour to curb the spread of the infection," Mr Vardhan said.
The minister was chairing a meeting on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour with heads/directors of institutions of the Department of Science and Technology and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Coronavirus news: Thane caseload closes in on 2 lakh mark, count 5,015
The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane district reached 1,98,259 on Friday after 1,260 people
were detected with the infection, while 32 deaths took the count to 5,015, an official said. The recovery rate in the district is 89.98 per cent (1,78,402 recovered), mortality rate is 2.53 per cent (5,015 deaths) and active cases stand at 7.49 per cent of total or 14,842, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: 189 new coronavirus cases in AhmedabadAhmedabad district in Gujarat reported 189 fresh coronavirus positive cases on Friday, the
state health department said on Friday.
With this, Ahmedabad's tally of positive cases went up to 39,844, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: Czech army builds field hospital to combat virus surge
The Czech government tasked the army Friday with building a large field hospital to relieve civilian hospitals as the country combats the fastest growth in coronavirus infections in the European Union.
The country of 10.7 million people is faring worst in the 28-member bloc in terms of holding back the disease, according to the latest ranking by European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (ECDC).
Data updated on Friday showed the Czechs had by far the most new cases and deaths per 100,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks in the EU, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: COVID-19: 674 cases, 20 deaths in Nagpur; 1,009 discharged
The number of COVID-19 cases in Nagpur increased by 674 to reach 89,761 on Friday, while 20 deaths took the count to 2,912, an official said. The number of people who have recovered stands at 79,853, including 1,009 during the day, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: Goa's COVID-19 tally crosses 40,000-mark; active cases 3,950The coronavirus tally in Goa crossed the 40,000-mark with the addition of 321 cases on
Friday, a health department official said. The case count now stands at 40,091, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: Italy reports over 10,000 daily cases of CovidItaly reported over 10,000 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, its highest ever daily count, as the country braces for the latest wave of infections sweeping Europe.
The count of 10,010 infections in one day -- with 55 deaths -- was the third day in a row that Italy broke coronavirus records.
At the height of Italy's coronavirus crisis in March, the highest 24-hour count of new infections was 6,557, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Colts close facility after multiple virus positives
The Indianapolis Colts closed their practice facility Friday after several members of the organization tested positive for the coronavirus, jeopardizing this weekend's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The NFL team did not provide a specific number of people who were infected, how many players were involved or the identities of those testing positive, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Rajasthan sees 15 more COVID-19 deaths, 2010 new casesFifteen more fatalities linked to the novel coronavirus and 2,010 fresh infections were reported in Rajasthan on Friday, taking the death count from the disease to 1,723 and the tally to 1,69,289, according to an official report.
Coronavirus news: Amravati sees 119 fresh COVID-19 cases; 139 recoveries
At least 119 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while four died of the infection in Maharashtra's Amravati district on Friday, an official said.
The detection of fresh infections and casualties have taken the tally in the district to 15,309 and count to 347, PTI reported.
Highest single-day spike of 3,771 new COVID-19 cases take West Bengal's tally to over 3.13 lakh; count rises to 5,931 with 61 more fatalities: Health Department.
Coronavirus news: Gujarat reports 1,191 new COVID-19 cases; 1,279 recover, 11 die
With 1,191 new coronavirus cases emerging in Gujarat in the last 24 hours, the infection count in the state reached 1,57,474, the health department said on Friday.
Eleven COVID-19 patients died during this period, taking the count to 3,620, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: Atlanta Falcons shut facility after new Covid-19 positive test
A new COVID-19 positive test Thursday prompted the NFL's Atlanta Falcons to shut down their practice facility and work remotely to prepare for Sunday's game at Minnesota.
The winless Falcons, who fired coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff on Sunday after an 0-5 start, had already placed rookie defensive lineman Marlon Davidson on the COVID-19 reserve list on Tuesday.
Coronavirus news: Top Bengali elocutionist Pradip Ghosh dead, tests COVID-19 positivePradip Ghosh, a veteran Bengali elocutionist who gave a new dimension to recitation of Rabindranath Tagore's poems, died on Friday and tested coronavirus positive after his death, family sources said.
Ghosh was 78, PTI reported.
Coronavirus news: More awareness should be created to check COVID-19, says Uttarakhand Chief Minister Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat held a meeting over COVID-19 preventive measures in the on Friday and said awareness campaign should be expedited for effective control over coronavirus.
He said that stickers should be put up on the doors of houses besides religious and tourist places, offices and vehicles in the state for awareness against COVID-19, ANI reported.
Coronavirus news: Kremlin worried by surge in COVID-19 cases but says situation "under control"
The Kremlin said on Friday it was worried by a record surge in COVID-19 cases in Russia but that the situation was under control.
Russia reported a record high of 15,150 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, including 5,049 in the capital Moscow, reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: India continues to report one of lowest Covid deaths per million population globally: Government
India continues to report one of the lowest deaths per million population which stands at 81 on Friday. Less than 1,100 deaths have been reported continuously since October 2, said Union Health Ministry.
Coronavirus news: Britain moves closer to COVID-19 vaccine trials that infect volunteers"Human challenge" trials of potential COVID-19 vaccines, where volunteers are deliberately infected with the disease, could become a reality after a British biotech firm said it was in advanced talks with the government to create and provide strains of the virus.
Preliminary work for the trials, which aim to speed up the process of determining the efficacy of a vaccine candidate, is being carried out by hVIVO, a unit of pharmaceutical services group Open Orphan, reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Last night out in France as 20 million face virus curfew
Millions of French people were looking forward to a last night of freedom on Friday before a COVID-19 curfew in Paris and other large cities comes into force for a least a month, prompted by an alarming surge in new cases.
The curfew aims to keep some 20 million people home from 9 pm to 6 am -- 30 percent of the French population, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Virus lockdown reimposed in northern Greek region
A densely populated northern Greek region went into a new coronavirus lockdown on Friday after scores of new infections this month.
The curbs will remain in place until October 29 in the Kozani region, home to some 150,000 inhabitants, Greece's public protection agency said.
"Masks are compulsory in all indoor working areas and outdoors, all gatherings are suspended and movement outside the region is prohibited," it said in a statement.
The order shuts most businesses, including restaurants, cinemas, courts, retail shops, hair salons and gymnasiums.
However, in contrast to the first-wave nationwide lockdown in March, schools will remain open, AFP reported.
Coronavirus news: Poland reports new daily record of 132 coronavirus-related deaths
Poland on Friday reported a new daily record of 132 coronavirus-related deaths and counted 7,705 new confirmed cases, amid fears the pandemic is testing the country's supply of hospital beds and ventilators.
The government urged Poles to travel outside of the country only if absolutely necessary, following another daily record of 8,099 new confirmed coronavirus cases on Thursday, reuters reported.
Coronavirus news: Imposing coronavirus lockdown unconstitutional, says Donald Trump
Defending holding public events during the coronavirus pandemic, US President Donald Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 early this month, has said that as a president he cannot remain locked in a basement and he has to meet people despite the risks.
Trump, responding to a question at a townhall organised by the NBC News, also defended not wearing a mask as much as his own administration's public health experts recommend and said that lockdowns imposed by various states across the country to curb the coronavirus cases were "unconstitutional", PTI reported.
Remdesivir has "little or no effect" on Covid-19 mortality: WHO study
The antiviral drug remdesivir, considered one of the most promising Covid-19 treatments, turns out to do little to prevent deaths from the disease, according to a WHO-backed study.
Remdesivir, which was part of the experimental cocktail given to US President Donald Trump when he caught the new coronavirus last month, was one of several reviewed in a large study of more than 11,000 people across 30 countries.
The drug "appeared to have little or no effect on hospitalised COVID-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay," said the study posted online late Thursday.
Maharashtra: COVID-19 recovery rate in Thane district nears 90 per cent
The recovery rate of COVID-19 patients in Maharashtra's Thane district is nearing 90 per cent, while the death rate stands at 2.53 per cent, an official said on Friday. Of the 1,97,000 cases of COVID-19 reported in the district so far, 1,77,206 patients have recovered from the infection and 4,983 have died of it, the official said.
The district currently has 14,810 active cases, he said. As many as 1,288 tested positive for the infection, while 36 succumbed to it on Thursday, the official said.
The recovery rate in the civic limits of Kalyan, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Amberanth and Badlapur has crossed 90 per cent each, he said.
Centre lifts ban on export of alcohol-based sanitisers with dispenser pumps
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers in containers with dispenser pumps or in any form of packaging will be free, with immediate effect.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry in a notification on Thursday said that, "The export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers in container with dispenser pumps is free for export making the export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers in any form/packaging freely exportable, with immediate effect."
COVID-19: Central teams sent to Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal
High-level central teams have been deputed to Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, which have been reporting a surge in COVID-19 cases, to support them in management of the disease.
The Union Health Ministry on Friday said these teams will support the state towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of the positive cases.
"The Central teams shall also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up," it said.
Each team comprises a joint secretary (nodal officer for the respective state), one public health expert to look after the public health aspects, one clinician to look after infection prevention practices and clinical management protocol being followed by the State.
Odisha reports 2,138 new COVID-19 cases, 15 fatalities
Odisha's COVID-19 tally on Friday mounted to 2,64,149 with 2,138 more people testing positive for the infection, while 15 more fatalities pushed the toll to 1,104, a health department official said.
Of the 2,138 new cases, 1,251 were reported from various quarantine centres, and the remaining were detected during contact tracing, he said.
Khurda district, of which Bhubaneswar is a part, recorded the maximum number of new cases at 361, followed by Cuttack at 156 and Angul at 151. Five of the state's 30 districts accounted for over 100 fresh cases each.
Russia's new coronavirus cases surge to record high of 15,150
Russia's daily tally of new coronavirus cases surged to a record high of 15,150 on Friday, including 5,049 in the capital Moscow, pushing the national total to 1,369,313 since the pandemic began.
Authorities reported 232 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll to 23,723
Puducherry reports 287 fresh COVID-19 cases, overall tally rises to 32,766
Puducherry added 287 fresh COVID-19 cases while one fatality took the deaths in the union territory to 571, Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said on Friday.
The 287 new cases were detected at the end of examination of 4,287 samples taking the overall tally to 32,766 (after transfer of seven cases to Tamil Nadu), the Minister said at a virtual press meet.
Mr Rao said the total number of active cases stood at 4,524 while 27,671 patients hadrecovered and were discharged so far from hospitals.
Ajit Pawar and NCP MP Supriya Sule donate some of the 916 ambulances in Maharashtra
Philippines COVID-19 task force lifts overseas travel ban for citizens
The Philippines' coronavirus task force has lifted a ban on overseas travel for Filipino tourists, the presidential office said on Friday.
Non-essential overseas travel could resume starting October 21, ending a restriction in effect since July and potentially increasing customers for Philippine carriers that have suffered amid the pandemic.
Special arrangements for Navratri at Mata Vaishno Devi temple amid COVID-19
Following COVID-19 protocols, special arrangements have been made for the Navratri festival at Mata Vaishno Devi temple, which will start on Saturday.
"Pony, Pithu, and Palki services have resumed. Helicopter and battery car services are operational too. Devotees coming from outside Jammu and Kashmir need a valid COVID-19 negative test report to enter the temple. We have a COVID-19 testing facility here too," Ramesh Kumar, CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu told news agency ANI.
According to the shrine board, the per-day pilgrims limit has been increased from five thousand to seven thousand and the ''Mata Vaishno Devi'' app has also been launched for devotees to experience live darshan from the comfort of their homes.
Jharkhand reports 583 new COVID-19 cases, 8 more deaths
Eight more people died of COVID-19 in Jharkhand, raising the deaths to 820, while 583 fresh cases pushed the tally in the state to 94,952, a health department official said on Friday.
Four each fatalities were reported in Ranchi and Bokaro, he said. Ranchi registered 219 fresh cases, followed by Bokaro at 74 and East Singhbhum at 56.
Jharkhand currently has 6,890 active cases, while 87,240 have recovered from the disease. As many as 23,399 samples were tested for the disease on Thursday.
France daily coronavirus cases top record 30,000
The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in France over the past 24 hours has exceeded 30,000 for the first time, official data showed on Thursday.
France's public health agency said that a total 30,621 confirmed cases of Covid-19 had been detected in the past 24 hours, a record daily total.
The number of people who have died from the novel coronavirus over the same 24-hour period stood at 88, bringing the total number of deaths in France since the start of the pandemic to 33,125, the agency said.
The so-called positivity rate -- the proportion of people infected out of the total number of those tested -- rose to 12.6 percent on Thursday from 12.2 percent on Wednesday.
Germany records 7,334 new COVID-19 cases over past day
Germany has confirmed 7,334 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours marking the largest daily increase since the start of the outbreak, with the total count reaching 348,557, the Robert Koch Institute said on Friday.
The deaths have grown by 24 to 9,734 people within the same period of time. More than 284,000 people have recovered since the start of the outbreak. A day earlier, the country confirmed 6,638 new coronavirus cases and 33 fatalities.
Mizoram reports 9 new COVID-19 cases; tally rises to 2,229
At least nine more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the state's coronavirus caseload to 2,229, an official said on Friday.
Of the nine fresh cases, six were reported from Aizawl city area and one case each from Mamit, Kolasib and Hnahthial districts, the official said. All the six cases in Aizawl were locally transmitted cases and two of the patients were found to have contracted the virus through positive patients, he said.
The other three patients were outsiders, who came from Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, the official said. He said that Mizorams COVID-19 tally has shown a flattening curve since recently.
Singer Kumar Sanu tests COVID-19 positive
Veteran singer Kumar Sanu's team on Thursday evening announced that he has tested positive for coronavirus. The announcement was made on the official Facebook page of the 62-year-old singer.
"Unfortunately Sanuda has tested Corona positive, please pray for his good health. Thank you. Team KS," the musician's team wrote in the Facebook post.
1,554 new Covid-19 cases in Telangana
Telangana reported 1,554 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 2,19,224 while seven more deaths pushed the deaths to 1,256, the state government said on Friday.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 249, followed by Rangareddy (128) and Medchal Malkajgiri (118) districts, it said in a bulletin, providing data as of 8 pm on October 15.
The cumulative recovered cases stood at 1,94,653 while 23,203 are under treatment. As many as 43,916 samples were tested on October 15.
Cumulatively, 37,46,963 samples have been tested. The samples tested per million population crossed the one lakh figure at 1, 00,670, the bulletin said.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to begin next phase of serosurvey from today
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will begin the next phase of serosurvey in the BMC area from Friday.
Prem Chandra Chaudhary, BMC, Chairman said, "From Friday onwards we will start next phase of sero- surveillance in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation area. The serosurvey will be done in coordination with Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC)."
"We will also launch cycle-related enforcement activities. Last Friday when we had launched the program ''cyclegiri'' we had decided that every Friday we will do some enforcement activity related to cycles like wherever cycle tracks are eroded or concerning cycle stands," he said.
Brazil's COVID-19 deaths reach 1,52,000
Brazil registered 713 deaths in the last 24 hours from the novel coronavirus, raising the nationwide deaths to 152,460, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday.
Tests detected 28,523 new cases of infection in the last 24 hours, bringing the national count to 5,169,386.
Also on Thursday, Minister of Communications Fabio Faria announced he tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the eleventh member of Brazil's cabinet that has caught the virus.
Sao Paulo, the most populated and industrialized state in the country, is the epicentre of the country's outbreak, with 37,690 deaths and 1,051,613 infections.
First "no-quarantine" flights arrive into Australia as virus cases fall
Several hundred passengers from the New Zealand city of Auckland are due to land in Sydney on Friday as part of a new trans-Tasman travel bubble amid a rapidly falling growth rate in cases at the epicentre of Australia's coronavirus outbreak.
The Australian state of Victoria recorded just two new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, health authorities said on Friday, in the lowest daily increase since early June
Mainland China reports 24 new COVID-19 cases vs 10 a day earlier
China reported 24 new coronavirus cases in the mainland for October 15, compared with 10 cases a day earlier, the health commission said on Friday.
All of the new infections were imported, according to a statement by the National Health Commission China reported 10 new asymptomatic patients, compared with 23 a day earlier.
As of October 15, mainland China had 85,646 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 deaths stand at 4,634.
U.S. coronavirus cases surpass eight million as infections spike nationwide
US cases of the novel coronavirus crossed 8 million on Thursday, rising by 1 million in less than a month, as another surge in cases hits the nation at the onset of cooler weather.
Since the pandemic started, over 217,000 people have died in the United States. The United States reported 60,000 new infections on Wednesday, the highest since August 14, with rising cases in every region, especially the Midwest.
Health experts have long warned that colder temperatures driving people inside could promote the spread of the virus.
COVID-19: Sikkim reports 41 fresh cases, tally mounts to 3,500
Sikkim reported 41 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 3,500, an official said on Thursday.
The state's Information, Education and Communication (IEC) member Sonam Bhutia said East Sikkim registered 35 positive cases, South Sikkim (5) and West Sikkim (1).
East Sikkim has so far logged 2,547 coronavirus cases followed by 702 in South Sikkim, 158 in West Sikkim and 12 in North Sikkim, he said.
The state now has 312 active cases, while 3,048 patients have recovered from the disease, the official said, adding, 81 others have migrated out.
Coronavirus news: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to begin next phase of serosurvey from today
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) will begin the next phase of serosurvey in the BMC area from Friday.
Prem Chandra Chaudhary, BMC, Chairman said, "From Friday onwards we will start next phase of sero- surveillance in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation area. The serosurvey will be done in coordination with Regional Medical Research Center (RMRC)."
"We will also launch cycle-related enforcement activities. Last Friday when we had launched the program ''cyclegiri'' we had decided that every Friday we will do some enforcement activity related to cycles like wherever cycle tracks are eroded or concerning cycle stands," he said.
11 Million Girls Won't Return To School After Covid: UNESCO
Eleven million girls face being unable to return to school even after coronavirus restrictions are lifted around the world, UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay said Thursday during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We worry that in many countries the closure of schools has unfortunately led to losses," Azoulay said as she visited a high school in the capital Kinshasa, three days after the country's 2020-21 school year began.
"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.
COVID-19: Assam records 769 fresh cases, nine more deaths
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.
Low risk of Covid infection on planes if masks worn: US military
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.
COVID-19 : India expected to have vaccine in next few monthsH, says arsh VardhanIndia is expected to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a few months and the country should be in the process of delivering it to people in the next six months, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
He made the comments at the Annual General Meeting of Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) and St. John's Ambulance.
"We are very much into the vaccine development process...in the next few months at the most we should have a vaccine and in the next six months we should be in the process of delivering the vaccine to the people of India," he said.
Mr Vardhan said to fight against COVID-19 the social vaccine of maintaining a distance of six feet should be followed, along with regular washing of hands and wearing of masks and face covers, especially in public places.