Covid-19 Cases in India: The total recoveries has increased to 3,26,32,222.
India reported 35,662 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, marginally higher than yesterday's 34,403 new cases. Besides, with 281 new fatalities, the total death count has increased to 4,44,529, the health ministry said. The active caseload stands at 3,40,639, which saccount for 1.02% of the total cases. With 33,798 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries increased to 3,26,32,222. The recovery rate is currently at 97.65%.
Meanwhile, India administered its highest ever single day vaccinations on Friday, with over 2.5 crore doses given in the last 24 hours, as the government raced to deliver a record on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday. The Centre had set out with a target of 2.5 crore vaccinations and crossed the mark by 10,390.
Here are the updates on coronavirus (COVID-19) cases:
Over 80 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in IndiaWith the ongoing Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, India has administered over 80 crore vaccine doses so far, the official government data said in a statement.
Out of these 80 crore vaccine doses, the country had made a historic move by administering around 2.5 crore vaccine doses, only on Friday.
According to the official data, India has recorded 35,662 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active caseload to 3,40,639 at present.
Presently, the daily positivity rate stands at 2.46 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate is 2.02 per cent.
Assam reports 365 new COVID cases, two more fatalitiesAssam reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, raising the count to 5,790, while the coronavirus tally mounted to 5,97,709 with 365 fresh cases, a National Health Mission bulletin said.
The two fatalities due to the infection were recorded in Jorhat and Nagaon, it said.
The current death rate is at 0.97 per cent, and 1,347 COVID-positive patients have died due to other ailments.
Of the new cases, 97 were reported from Kamrup Metro, 32 from Jorhat, 27 from Golaghat and 21 from Barpeta.
The state now has 3,716 active cases, down from the previous day's 3,818, and 465 people were cured of the disease during the day, taking the total number of recoveries to 5,86,856.
Punjab sees 31 more cases
Punjab on Saturday reported one more Covid-related death and 31 fresh cases, taking the count to 16,467 and infection tally to 6,01,236.
According to the state's Health Department bulletin, one death case was removed from the toll figure after reconciling data.
Among new COVID-19 cases, Muktsar reported six cases, followed by five in Jalandhar and four in Pathankot.
The number of active cases was 316.
Thirty-three people recovered from the infection, taking the number of cured Covid patients to 5,84,453, the bulletin said.
Bengal reaches milestone of vaccinating over 5 crore people since January: Official
West Bengal on Saturday touched the milestone of vaccinating over 5 crore people in the state against COVID-19 with at least one dose, after 12.17 lakh more beneficiaries were jabbed, a senior health department official said.
He is also hopeful that the state will cross the 13-lakh mark of single-day inoculation soon.
"Till 6pm today, we vaccinated around 12.17 lakh people. Since January 16, we have inoculated 5,01,02,442 people," the official said.
UK To Roll Out Life-Saving Covid Drug Given To Donald Trump
Thousands of vulnerable health service patients in the UK hospitals due to COVID-19 are set to benefit from a life-saving new antibody treatment called Ronapreve, which was given to former US president Donald Trump.
A combination of two monoclonal antibodies, Ronapreve, will be targeted initially at those in hospital who have not mounted an antibody response against the coronavirus.
The treatment was used as part of the suite of experimental medicines given to Trump when he tested positive for COVID-19 last year.
Vietnam Approves Cuba's Abdala Vaccine Amid Its Worst Covid Outbreak
Vietnam has approved Cuba's Abdala vaccine for use against the new coronavirus, the government said on Saturday, as the Southeast Asian country is battling its worst outbreak.
Abdala becomes the eighth COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Vietnam, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the region, with only 6.3% of its 98 million people having received at least two shots.
The announcement came hours after President Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Hanoi for an official visit to Havana.
Over 30 lakh vaccinations on PM's birthday in Bihar
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday congratulated the residents of Bihar for the inoculation of over 30.67 lakh people in the state on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday on the previous day.
He said that Bihar has written a golden chapter in history by vaccinating the highest number of people among states and Union territories on the occasion.
UK to roll out life-saving COVID-19 treatment which was given to Donald Trump
Thousands of vulnerable health service patients in the UK hospitals due to COVID-19 are set to benefit from a life-saving new antibody treatment called Ronapreve, which was given to former US president Donald Trump.
A combination of two monoclonal antibodies, Ronapreve, will be targeted initially at those in hospital who have not mounted an antibody response against the coronavirus.
Over 2.90 Lakh Challans Issued For Covid Norm Violations Between April-September
The Delhi Police has issued over 2.90 lakh challans so far between April 19 and September 17 this year for violation of various COVID-19-related guidelines, of which the maximum were issued to those found not wearing masks, officials said on Saturday.
According to the data shared by Additional Delhi Police PRO Anil Mittal, 2,91,423 challans have been issued for various Covid-related violations in the national capital.
Vietnam Approves Cuba's Abdala Vaccine Amid Its Worst Covid Outbreak
Vietnam has approved Cuba's Abdala vaccine for use against the new coronavirus, the government said on Saturday, as the Southeast Asian country is battling its worst outbreak.
Abdala becomes the eighth COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Vietnam, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the region, with only 6.3% of its 98 million people having received at least two shots.
The announcement came hours after President Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Hanoi for an official visit to Havana.
Australia Reports 1,882 New Covid Cases; Police Quell Anti-Lockdown ProtestsAustralia recorded 1,882 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, as thousands of police officers in Sydney and Melbourne were deployed to quell planned anti-lockdown protests, setting up checkpoints and barricades.
Several hundred people managed to gather in downtown Melbourne and local media reported some early arrests and clashes with the police, as 2,000 officers made the area virtually a no-go zone. Public transport and ride shares into the city were suspended.
In Sydney, riot squad officers, highway patrol, detectives and general duties police were also deployed to the streets.
Australia has been grappling with an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus since mid-June, with both Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra, in strict lockdowns for weeks now.
Gujarat Administered Over 22.15 Lakh Vaccine Doses During Friday's Mega DriveOver 22.15 lakh people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Gujarat during the state government's mega drive on Friday, with Surat administering the highest number of 2.77 lakh doses, an official said on Saturday, reported PTI. As per the figure released by the state health department, a record 22,15,027 people were administered COVID-19 vaccine till 10 pm on Friday during the mega campaign organised to mark PM Narendra Modi's birthday.
Surat administered the highest number of 2,77,121 doses among 33 districts, the official said.
Ahmedabad administered 2,31,639 jabs, followed by Vadodara with 1,22,986 and Rajkot with 1,05,829 doses, he said.
Surat was also on top among the state's eight municipal corporations as far as the number of doses administered during the mega drive is concerned, the official said. As many as 2,02,421 doses were administered in the Surat Municipal Corporation, followed by Ahmedabad with 1,50,096 doses, Vadodara with 61,946 and Rajkot with 44,636, he said.
PM Modi On India Achieving 2.5 Crore Vaccine Milestone
COVID-19 India News: Arunachal Pradesh Reports 38 New Cases, 69 RecoveriesArunachal Pradesh reported more single-day COVID-19 recoveries than fresh cases, as 69 patients recuperated from the disease while 38 new infections pushed the tally to 54,028, a health department official said on Saturday, according to PTI. A total of 53,252 people have recovered from COVID-19 so far, including 69 on Friday, the official said.
The COVID-19 recovery rate in the northeastern state improved marginally to 98.56 per cent from 98.50 per cent the previous day, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said. The positivity rate currently stands at 1.54 per cent. The COVID-19 death count in the state remained at 271 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, the official said.
Arunachal Pradesh currently has 505 active COVID-19 cases.
COVID-19 Latest Update: 1,882 New Cases Recorded In AustraliaAustralia recorded 1,882 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, reported Reuters. The country has been grappling with an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus since mid-June, with both Sydney and Melbourne, and the capital Canberra, in strict lockdowns for weeks now. New South Wales reported 1,331 COVID-19 cases, mostly in state capital Sydney, and six deaths, while Victoria had 535 new infections, again mostly in state capital Melbourne, along with one death. Most of the restrictions in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are to remain until at least 70% of those 16 and older are fully vaccinated, which based on the current pace of inoculations could be in late October or early November.
COVID-19 India News: One New Case Reported In Andaman And Nicobar IslandsAndaman and Nicobar Islands reported only one new COVID-19 case, pushing the tally in the union territory to 7,596, a health official said on Saturday, according to PTI. The single case of COVID-19 was detected during local contact tracing, the official said. The archipelago now has 14 active COVID-19 cases and all 14 patients are in the South Andaman district while the other two districts - North and Middle Andaman and Nicobar - are COVID-19 free, he said.
Two more patients recovered from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours taking the total number of COVID-19 recoveries to 7,453. The COVID-19 death count remained at 129 as no new fatality was reported. The administration has so far tested 5,24,696 samples for COVID-19 and the cumulative test positivity rate is 1.45 per cent, he said.
A total of 4,05,008 beneficiaries have been inoculated till Friday, of which 2,80,243 have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 1,24,765 have received both doses of the vaccine, the official said, adding that the union territory has a total population of around 4,00,000 people.
COVID-19 India News: 35,662 New Cases, 281 More Deaths In Last 24 HoursIndia reported 35,662 new cases in the last 24 hours and the country's active caseload stands at 3,40,639, which account for 1.02% of the total cases. Besides, with 281 new fatalities, the total death count has increased to 4,44,529, the health ministry said. With 33,798 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries has increased to 3,26,32,222. The recovery rate is currently at 97.65%. The weekly positivity rate (2.02%) has been less than 3% for the last 85 days while the daily positivity rate (2.46%) has been less than 3% for the last 19 days. India administered the highest ever single day vaccinations with 2.5 crore doses given in last 24 hours.
COVID-19: Maharashtra's Thane District's Covid Count Rises By 264, Fatalities By 4The coronavirus infection tally in Thane district of Maharashtra increased by 264 to 5,55,871, while the death of four patients took the death count to 11,366, an official said on Saturday, according to PTI. These cases and fatalities were reported on Friday, he said. The district's COVID-19 mortality rate is 2.04 per cent at present.
In neighbouring Palghar district, the infection count has gone up to 1,35,303, while the death count is 3,273, another official said.
COVID-19 News: Vietnam Approves Cuba's Abdala Vaccine For Use Against CovidVietnam has approved Cuba's Abdala vaccine for use against the new coronavirus, the government said on Saturday, reported Reuters. Abdala becomes the eighth COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Vietnam, which is battling its worst outbreak in months.
COVID-19 News: Singapore Primary Schools To Shift Online As Covid Cases Rise
Singapore's primary schools will shift to home-based learning for 10 days ahead of a key national examination, the education ministry said on Saturday, as the country reported 935 new COVID-19 cases the previous day, the highest since April last year, reported Reuters. Primary 1 to 5 students will move to home-based learning from September 27 to October 6. Primary 6 students will go on a study break for a few days from September 25 before sitting for the national examination to minimise risk of school-based transmissions and reduce the number of students placed in quarantine.
COVID-19 News: US Panel Recommends Booster Shots For People Aged 65+
A panel of leading US medical experts advising the government voted in favor of authorizing boosters of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for everyone aged 65 and up, as well as people at high risk of developing severe Covid, reported AFP. The same committee, however, rejected an initial proposal, submitted by Pfizer and backed by President Joe Biden's administration, to fully approve boosters to everyone aged 16 and over. The decisions came after a day-long meeting full of data presentations and at times charged debate that was convened by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tens of millions of Americans will soon be eligible for a third shot.
Over 7 lakh people vaccinated in Assam on PM's birthday
A total of 7,09,524 people received the COVID-19 vaccine in Assam on Friday as the state government undertook a mega inoculation drive on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, a bulletin said.
Over 2.16 crore people have been immunised, and 44.02 lakh of them got both doses of the vaccines, it said.
The special drive was conducted in 4,575 COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs), of which 4,557 were government sites and 18 private ones.