India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 1,08,92,746 with 12,143 new infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries crossed 1.06 crore, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.
The death count increased to 1,55,550 with 103 daily new fatalities, data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, The second dose of the Covid vaccine will be administered today to those who took the first shot on Day 1 of the nationwide inoculation drive on January 16. AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria and NITI Aayog's VK Paul, who were among the first to take the jab, are expected to receive the second shot, which needs to be taken 28 days after the first one.
Over 77 lakh healthcare and frontline workers have received the first dose of the vaccine till Friday, the government said, adding that 97 per cent people of the beneficiaries are "satisfied". India has set a target of inoculating 30 crore people against COVID-19 by July.
Here are the Highlights:
WHO experts voiced frustration Saturday over the lack of access to raw data during a recent mission to China to probe the pandemic's origins, saying more was needed to detect possible early Covid cases.
Former US president Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate on Saturday of inciting the deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) is conducting simulation studies on the artificial lake formed in the upper stretches of the Rishiganga river after the catastrophic Uttarakhand flood early this week, and also examining the possibility of carrying out a controlled blast to drain out the water.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to farmers as "parasites" has deeply hurt the farming community, leaders of unions protesting against the Centre's agriculture laws said on Saturday.
A total of 151 birds were found dead in Maharashtra on Friday amid the avian influenza scare and samples have been sent for tests, a state animal husbandry department official said on Saturday. These include 134 poultry birds from Buldana, Amravati and Jalgaon, he said.
India has vaccinated close to 80 lakh beneficiaries in its fight against COVID-19, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Saturday.
"Till 8:00 AM 13 February, 79,67,647 beneficiaries have received the vaccination under the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination exercise. Out of these, 5,909,136 are health care workers and 2,058,511 are front line workers. A total of 1,64,781 sessions have been conducted so far," said MoHFW in an official statement.
On February 12, which is day 28 of the vaccination drive, 4,62,637 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 10,411 sessions.
The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Saturday 1,960 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 547,255.
The death count climbed to 11,507 after 12 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said. It added 133 more patients recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 500,781.
The Philippines, with a population of 110 million, has tested over 7.77 million people since the disease emerged in January last year.
The DOH has confirmed the detection of 19 additional COVID-19 cases for the more contagious coronavirus variant first found in Britain, raising the number of cases in the country to 44.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued new guidelines urging schools to reopen safely and as soon as possible, while offering a detailed plan for limiting the spread of Covid-19.
The Allahabad High Court has appreciated the work done in Uttar Pradesh to contain coronavirus and expressed hope that people in the state get themselves vaccinated against the infection.