India recorded a single-day rise of 12,729 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking the country's infection tally to 3,43,33,754, while the active cases rose to 1,48,922.
The death count due to the infection climbed to 4,59,873, with 221 daily fatalities being recorded, the data showed.
The country recorded 12,165 more recoveries on Friday, taking the total tally of people who have recovered from the infection to 3,37,24,959.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 28 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 131 consecutive days now.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Cases In India:
Germany's COVID-19 situation is entering a very difficult period with rising numbers of intensive care patients, health minister Jens Spahn said, as German state leaders warned the country may need a new lockdown unless it takes urgent action.
Spahn said he had agreed with regional health ministers that in future everyone should be offered a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine six months after receiving their previous injection.
A new study in the Veterinary Record reveals that pets can be infected with the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was first detected in southeast England and is commonly known as the UK variant or B.1.1.7.
This variant rapidly outcompeted pre-existing variants in England due to its increased transmissibility and infectivity.
The study describes the first identification of the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant in domestic pets; two cats and one dog were positive on PCR test, while two additional cats and one dog displayed antibodies two to six weeks after they developed signs of cardiac disease. Many owners of these pets had developed respiratory symptoms several weeks before their pets became ill and had also tested positive for COVID-19.
West Bengal on Friday recorded 763 fresh Covid-19 cases, 155 less than the previous day's figure, while the number of fresh fatalities also dropped marginally from 14 on November 4 to 13, according to a health department bulletin.
The state's Covid-19 death count went up to 19,201 with 13 fatalities while 763 new cases pushed the tally to 15,97,095.
Kolkata accounted for four deaths during the day, while North and South 24 Parganas reported three fatalities each. The remaining deaths were recorded in other districts, the bulletin said.
The Delhi Cabinet on Friday approved a budget of Rs 1,544 crore under the Emergency COVID-19 Response Package to bolster health systems in order to be prepared for a possible third wave, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
Gujarat recorded 20 new coronavirus infections on Friday which took its caseload to 8,26,700, the state health department said.
With no new fatality being reported, the death toll remained unchanged at 10,090.
Tamil Nadu continued to report a decline in COVID-19 cases below the 1,000 mark for the fifth consecutive day, with the state logging 875 infections, pushing the tally to 27,07,368.
Thirteen people succumbed to the virus, taking the toll to 36,204 till date, a health department bulletin said.
Mumbai on Friday reported 238 new coronavirus cases and four fresh fatalities, taking the infection tally to 7,57,272 and the toll to 16,269, a civic official said.
A trial of Pfizer Inc's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 was stopped early after the drug was shown to cut by 89% the chances of hospitalization or death for adults at risk of developing severe disease.
More than 116.50 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and Union territories so far through the Centre and direct state procurement category, the Union health ministry said on Friday.
More than 15.54 crore (15,54,54,451) balance and unutilised vaccine doses are still available with the states/UTs to be administered.
Ladakh recorded 10 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 21,005 and active cases to 98, officials said on Friday.
The Union territory has registered 208 Covid-related deaths -- 150 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today praised the Uttarakhand government for its attempts at curbing the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the discipline displayed by the State in the fight is commendable.
Arunachal Pradesh did not report any new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, while 17 more people recuperated from the disease, pushing the total number of recoveries to 54,826, a senior health official said here on Friday.
The COVID-19 tally in the frontier state remained at 55,174, the official said.
Arunachal Pradesh now has 68 active COVID-19 cases, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.
The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 99.37 per cent, Jampa said.
The COVID-19 death count in the state remained at 280 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the SSO said.
She was detained in May 2020 and sentenced in December to four years in jail for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" -- a charge routinely used to suppress dissent.
She is now severely underweight and "may not live for much longer", her brother Zhang Ju wrote last week on a Twitter account verified by people close to the matter.
With 945 Covid cases, neighbouring Tamil Nadu was the second southern state with most number of daily cases. The next highest was Andhra Pradesh with 301, it was followed by Karnataka with 261 cases.
Mumbai reported 262 new COVID-19 cases and six deaths, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Thursday.
With 269 recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries mounted to 7,34,859.
At present, there are 3,370 active cases in the city. The death toll has reached 16, 265 in Mumbai.
Mizoram reported 508 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the last 24 hours, informed the state Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) on Friday.
The total number of recoveries in the state stands at 1,17,445.
This is the first oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19 to get approved, with the green light coming ahead of potential U.S. regulatory clearance. U.S. advisers will meet this month to vote on whether molnupiravir should be authorized.
Tamil Nadu reported 945 new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours, as per a health bulletin issued by the state government on Thursday.
During the same duration, 1,047 people recovered from the infection while 15 people succumbed to the deadly virus, taking the tally of currently active Covid cases to 10,895.
So far, a total of 27,06,493 Covid cases have been reported in the state, the bulletin says. Out of this, 26,59,407 people have recovered from the virus while 36,191 people have lost their lives to it.
Kerala reported 7,545 new COVID-19 cases and 55 deaths in the last 24 hours on Thursday.
According to the State Health Department bulletin, the total active caseload in the state is 74,552.
Delhi reported 40 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours on Thursday.
No death was recorded due to the disease for the thirteenth consecutive day.
As per the Delhi Health Department's bulletin, the cumulative caseload has escalated to 14,40,003 including 303 active cases.
