India recorded 34,403 new coronavirus cases on Friday, which pushed the country’s overall tally of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic in January last year to 3,33,81,728. The new cases were 12.5% higher than Thursday’s count of 30,570 infections.

India’s toll rose by 320 deaths in the last 24 hours. As of Friday morning, India had 3,39,056 active Covid-19 cases. The number of recoveries in the country was 3,25,98,424.

A total of 77.24 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India since the beginning of the immunisation drive in January.

The Centre is reportedly aiming to achieve a vaccination record on Friday to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 71st birthday, according to NDTV.

Meanwhile on Thursday, the Centre said at a press briefing that the number of new cases had reduced across India. However, it cautioned Indians that Covid-19 cases might increase in October and November, when the country will celebrate festivals.

In another development, the government refuted a report from The New York Times claiming that the Indian Council of Medical Research downplayed Covid-19 threat for Modi’s “political goals”.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 22.7 crore people and caused more than 46.69 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Cuba on Thursday started vaccinating children aged between two to 10 age group, AP reported. Cuba is among the first countries to inoculate children against Covid-19. Shots developed in Cuba have been found to be safe for children, according to the news agency.