Coronavirus: 650 deaths in past 24 hours brought total death toll to 117,956
New Delhi:
India’s coronavirus count has crossed 78 lakh with a jump of 53,370 cases in the past 24 hours, according to government data. And 650 deaths in the past 24 hours brought the total death toll to 1.17,956. Meanwhile, 70,16,046 people in the country have recovered since the start of the pandemic. The country has reported a steady decline in its daily coronavirus infections after peaking at around 90,000 cases per day in September. India, which reported its first case on January 30, is the second most affected country in the world by the pandemic after the United States.
Here are 10 developments in this great story:
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The number of active cases stands at 680,680, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health. Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and Delhi are the five states that have reported the highest number of cases in the past 24 hours.
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Maharashtra, the Indian state worst affected by COVID-19, added 7,347 new cases, with the total number of those infected reaching 16.32,544. The state also reported 184 deaths, boosting the number deaths at 43,015.
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Karnataka has reported 5,356 new infections and 51 deaths in the past 24 hours. The state’s COVID-19 tally now stands at 7.93.907 lakh.
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West Bengal has reported 4,143 new cases of COVID-19 and 60 related deaths, bringing the state’s overall total to 3.41,426 and the number of deaths to 6,368.
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Delhi reported more than 4,000 cases of coronavirus in one day on Friday, raising concerns about a wave of the virus in the middle of the holidays. Except on October 19, the nation’s capital has reported more than 3,000 cases per day over the past 10 days – a worrying sign, especially when COVID-19 levels have shown a drastic drop nationwide.
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Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), has been cleared for the third phase of clinical trials. The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker filed an application with the Comptroller General of Medicines of India (DCGI) on October 2, requesting permission to conduct phase 3 trials for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
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Air India will operate its flight to Wuhan on October 30, the first after the city in central China, where the coronavirus originally emerged in December last year, was officially declared safe from the virus in June and all restrictions were lifted. A Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flight will operate in the Delhi-Wuhan sector on October 30, the Indian embassy in Beijing announced on Friday.
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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Friday that the next three months are going to be decisive in determining the coronavirus situation in the country and urged people to take the necessary precautions during the festival and the winter season to come.
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The global figure now stands at more than 4.12 crore cases and more than 11.3 lakh deaths, according to the WHO.
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The United States remains by far the country hardest hit by the global health crisis, with more than 2.23 lakh dead.
