India on Saturday morning reported 24,354 new coronavirus cases, pushing the infection tally to 3,37,91,061 since the pandemic first broke out in January last year. Saturday’s case count was 8.8% lower than 26,727 infections reported on Friday.

The toll climbed by 234 to 4,48,573. The number of active cases dropped to 2,73,889 and the recovery tally touched 3,30,68,599.

So far, India has administered 89,74,81,554 Covid-19 vaccine doses. On Friday, 69,33,838 doses were administered.

Meanwhile, the toll in the United States neared 7 lakh, according to Johns Hopkins University. The global toll was also inching towards 50 lakh. Data on Johns Hopkins University showed that the coronavirus has infected over 23.42 crore people and caused more than 47.91 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019.

Other updates

  • The Karnataka government announced that all schools can operate with full capacity for Class 6 to Class 12 as the coronavirus positivity rate has remained low, reported the Hindustan Times. 
  • Tamil Nadu Health Minister M Subramanian said that the state has set a target of inoculating 15 million, or 1.5 crore, residents in October through mega vaccination camps, reported the Hindustan Times. In September, 14.2 million, or 1.42 crore, residents were vaccinated.
  • The Calcutta High Court directed that students would have to pay the entire claim of fees made by school authorities by October 25, reported The Indian Express. It also asked the institutions not to stop any student from writing any board or annual or mid-term assessment examinations.
  • Air India Boeing pilots’ union, the Indian Pilots’ Guild, wrote to newly-appointed Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal, requesting him to restore their pay cuts, reported the Hindustan Times. They said that the Covid-19 cases have reduced significantly.

Global updates

  • Sri Lanka lifted a near six-week lockdown imposed to contain the spread of the coronavirus but continued to enforce a night curfew and a ban on public gatherings and parties, reported AFP. The country’s health ministry urged companies to encourage their staff to work from home. The ministry also did not take any decisions to reopen schools.
  • Pharmaceutical company Merck and biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said that they have developed a drug that reduces the risk of hospitalisation and death by around 50% for patients with mild or moderate cases of Covid-19, reported CNBC. The companies are planning to seek emergency use authorisation for their treatment.