India reported 42,015 new cases and 3,998 deaths in the last 24 hours on Wednesday, according to data updated by the health ministry.
The recovery rate has increased to 97.36 per cent. The daily positivity rate is at 2.27 per cent - less than 3 per cent for 30 straight days in a major sign of relief. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Covid positivity rate below 5 per cent to be within the safe zone.
Active Covid cases have declined to 4.07 lakh in India - the infections are going down each day. Active cases constitute 1.30 per cent of total infections. 36,977 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking total recoveries so far to over 3.04 crore.
Meanwhile, Australia's two largest states reported sharp increases in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a blow to hopes that lockdown orders would be lifted with more than half the country's population under stay-at-home orders.
New South Wales state, home to the country's most populous city Sydney, logged 110 new cases, up from 78 the day before, nearly four weeks into a lockdown of the city and surrounding areas to contain an outbreak of the virulent Delta variant.
Victoria state clocked 22 new cases, from nine the day before, its biggest increase since the outbreak began this month, even as it nears its second week of statewide lockdown.
Here are the Live Updates on Coronavirus Cases in India:
Chennai residents now have an easy way to get the Covid vaccine shot. The Greater Chennai Corporation has set up vaccination camps at 10 malls across the city and 38 fruit and vegetable markets to take the jab to shoppers, shopkeepers and salespersons visiting these places.
Karthik, a salesperson at a popular store at Palladium wing of Phoenix Market City in Chennai, is happy to have received his first dose. "I could not get my shots as there were long queues everywhere I went. Today in 15 minutes, I got my first shot. It is safe for me and my customers. In fact, many customers asked us if we are vaccinated."
The mall has put up stickers and flexes at all stores that read, "We are vaccinated". The management said this was a precondition for the stores to reopen.
Average US life expectancy fell by 1.5 years in 2020, a sharp decline driven by the Covid-19 pandemic affecting males and communities of color the most, new data showed Wednesday.
Life expectancy at birth for the total US population was 77.3 years, down from 78.8 in 2019, and the lowest it has been since 2003, said a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People wanting to go to cinemas, museums or sports matches in France have to prove they have had a Covid-19 vaccination or a recent negative test from Wednesday as the country rolls out its controversial vaccine passport system in the face of surging new cases.
The so-called "health pass" will be required for all events or places with more than 50 people, before being extended to restaurants, cafes and large shopping centres in August.
The government, which is set to formalise the system with legislation being debated in parliament, is hoping to curb a fourth wave of infections and encourage people to get vaccinated.
Covid vaccine makers BioNTech and Pfizer said Wednesday they would produce their jab in South Africa from 2022, a first for the continent that could see much-needed immunisation drives pick up speed.
Poor countries have fallen behind richer ones in the race to protect people from the coronavirus, sparking widespread criticism of drug firms and governments of wealthy nations.
Kerala on Wednesday recorded 17,481 fresh COVID-19 cases and 105 deaths, pushing the numbers to 32,05,197 and 15,617 respectively.
The test positivity rate (TPR) remained close to 12 per cent for the second consecutive day with three districts of the state reporting more than 2,000 cases.
As many as 14,131 people have been cured of the infection, taking the total recoveries to 30,59,441 and active cases to 1,29,640 till date, said an official press release.
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is expected to become the dominant strain of the virus over the coming months, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
Delta, which was first detected in India, has now been recorded in 124 territories -- 13 more than last week -- and already accounts for more than three-quarters of sequenced specimens in many major countries, the WHO said.
The government on Tuesday said a sero survey has found that two-thirds of the population - aged above six years - has SARS-CoV-2 antibodies but stressed that around 40 crore people are still vulnerable to the infection and "there is no room for complacency". State heterogeneity "indicates the possibility of future waves of infection," the government warned, adding that people should travel only if fully vaccinated.
The overall seroprevalence was 67.6 per cent in the ICMR's 4th national COVID sero survey, held in June and July, that involved over 28,975 individuals (adults and children), apart from 7,252 healthcare workers, in 70 districts across 21 states where earlier three rounds were also conducted.
Russia announced Wednesday that a batch of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine was produced for the first time in Vietnam, which is battling a new wave of COVID-19 infections. The test batch was produced in partnership with Vietnam's state-owned pharmaceutical company Vabiotech, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which financially backed Sputnik V, said in a statement.
The first samples from the batch will be shipped to the vaccine's developer -- the Gamaleya Centre in Moscow -- for quality control, the RDIF added. "RDIF and Vabiotech are actively cooperating in the technology transfer process to provide easier access to Sputnik V for the population of Vietnam," the fund's CEO Kirill Dmitriyev said in the statement.
Australia's two largest states reported sharp increases in new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a blow to hopes that lockdown orders would be lifted with more than half the country's population under stay-at-home orders.
New South Wales state, home to the country's most populous city Sydney, logged 110 new cases, up from 78 the day before, nearly four weeks into a lockdown of the city and surrounding areas to contain an outbreak of the virulent Delta variant.
Victoria state clocked 22 new cases, from nine the day before, its biggest increase since the outbreak began this month, even as it nears its second week of statewide lockdown.
Johnson & Johnson's single-dose Covid vaccine produced relatively low levels of antibodies against the delta variant in a study, raising questions about how well the shot will hold up against the strain that accounts for the vast majority of U.S. cases.
The laboratory study, released on the preprint server bioRxiv, hasn't been published in a peer-reviewed journal and focuses on one key portion of the immune response, called neutralizing antibodies. New York University scientists found that J&J's vaccine produced roughly five-fold lower levels of the protective antibodies against the delta variant compared to the levels raised against an early coronavirus strain.
The health ministry reported 27,444 infected and 250 dead over the past day, increasing the total death count to 87,624 among more than 3.5 million total infected in the pandemic, ANI reported.
"People line up from 4 a.m. although the centre opens at 10 a.m.," the 33-year-old said, as he finally entered the walk-in vaccination room in the town, where gold-domed medieval churches attract crowds of tourists in normal years, Reuters reported.
The president has been criticized by experts, who say he is putting the economy ahead of people''s health, reported NHK World.
The country's excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic could be as high as 4.9 million, a new study shows, providing further evidence that millions more may have died from coronavirus than the official tally.
The report by the Washington-based Center for Global Development, co-authored by former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, included deaths from all causes since the start of the pandemic through June this year. Read Here.
No mass gathering seen at Delhi's Jamia Masjid for Bakrid prayers this year.
- ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2021
"Keeping COVID guidelines in mind, we cancelled general namaz timings. Except for a few locals, there were no other visitors as prayers were offered here in wee hours to avoid rush," says Masjid Imam pic.twitter.com/YGplG7S4VY
188 Crore Covid Vaccine Doses Required To Inoculate 18-Plus Population: CentreThe 18-plus population in India is 94 crore and therefore, the total requirement of Covid vaccine doses for the beneficiaries in this age group is 188 crore, but the number may reduce if in future, single-dose vaccines are approved, the Centre said.
Assam | We have detected double infection of #COVID19 by two different variants of concern-- Alpha & Delta. A lady doctor was found to be infected simultaneously with both the variants: Dr. BJ Borkakoti, Senior Scientist, Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh (20.07) pic.twitter.com/NJZH41hw3X
- ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2021
