Here are the top updates from Wednesday:

  1. The Union health ministry said that the slow pace of vaccination by private inoculation centres in some states was a cause of serious concern. It advised the states to review the progress of vaccine procurement by private centres on a daily basis.
  2. India recorded 38,792 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday morning, pushing the infection tally in the country to 3,09,46,074, since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The toll climbed by 624 to 4,11,408, while the number of active cases stood at 4,29,946.
  3. Amid reports of vaccine shortages in several states, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said “useless statements” on the matter have been causing panic among citizens. His statement was despite the fact that vaccination centres in various states, including Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, were closed on Tuesday.
  4. The Centre once again raised concern on “blatant violations” of Covid-19 protocol in hill stations and markets and directed state governments to adopt measures to control large crowds.
  5. The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government taking suo motu cognisance of its decision to allow the annual pilgrimage of Kanwar Yatra amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Uttarakhand government had on Tuesday cancelled the yatra in view of the health crisis.
  6. Kerala, which has been reporting the highest number of daily cases among all states, recorded 15,637 new infections in the last 24 hours, according to the Mathrubhumi. In Maharashtra, the tally rose by 9,268 new cases of Covid-19.
  7. The European Medicines Agency said there were good scientific grounds to expect that mixing vaccines would be safe and effective but refrained from issuing any recommendations. 
  8. Authorities in Australia extended coronavirus lockdown in the country’s largest city Sydney by two weeks amid a rise in cases, Reuters reported. Since the first case of a fresh outbreak was detected near the city’s Bondi Beach in mid-June, the shutdown has been extended twice.
  9. Several provinces in China will start vaccinating teenagers this month, Reuters reported. The Chinese authorities are aiming to fully vaccinate all eligible in the age group of 12 to 17 by the end of October.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus disease has infected over 18.79 crore people and killed over 40.52 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.