Here are the top updates from Thursday:

  1. Pharmaceutical company Moderna said its Covid-19 shot has shown 93% efficacy six months after the second dose in a study based on real-world evidence. The company had reported 94% efficacy in its original clinical trial.
  2. India reported 42,982 new coronavirus cases, taking the country’s tally to 3,18,12,114 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The country’s toll rose by to 533 to 4,26,290, while the active caseload increased to 4,11,076.
  3. The World Health Organization, in its latest latest weekly epidemiological update on Covid-19 said that Delta variant of the infection has now been detected in 135 countries. The highly transmissible strain, first detected in India, has led to a surge in cases in several countries. The United State reported more than a lakh cases on Wednesday, while China reimposed certain restrictions to tackle its worst outbreak since January.
  4. The United Kingdom eased restrictions on travellers from India as it moved the country from its “red” to “amber list”. From August 8, fully vaccinated travellers from India will no longer have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.
  5. Amid a rise in coronavirus cases in the city, the police in Bengaluru invoked restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the Hindustan Times reported. The order bars the assembly of more than four people and restricts activities, except those permitted by the government. The curbs will stay in place till August 16.
  6. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that the pandemic situation in her state might turn grim if the vaccine supply in the state is not augmented, PTI reported. She alleged that the state was receiving a “much lower number of doses” of vaccines despite having a very high population density.
  7. The Delhi High Court has said that India was unlikely to meet the target of vaccinating its entire adult population against Covid-19. The court was hearing a petition on the pandemic situation in the national capital.
  8. Kerala, the top contributor of Covid-19 cases among all states, reported 22,040 new infections in the last 24 hours, PTI reported. As many as 117 people died in the state due to the disease. Despite the rise in cases, the state government, on Wednesday, allowed markets, hotels, banks, offices and other establishments to open for six days a week.
  9. Australian city Sydney reported another record single-day rise in cases as 262 new infections were recorded on Thursday, Reuters reported. The city is nearing the seventh week of a nine-week lockdown. State authorities in Victoria also announced a one-week lockdown on Thursday. 
  10. The global tally of the coronavirus cases went past 20 crore. The tally now stands at 20.04 crore, while 42.61 lakh people have died of the infection so far, according to the Johns Hopkins University.