India on Friday morning recorded 14,348 new coronavirus cases, pushing the infection tally to 3,42,46,157 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The new cases are 11.19% fewer than Thursday’s count of 16,156 infections.

The toll rose by 805 to 4,57,191, while the number of active cases increased by 345 to 1,61,334. As many as 3,36,27,632 people have recovered from the infection.

So far, India has administered over 104.82 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses. On Thursday, 74,33,392 shots were administered.

(Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

State updates

  • Dr Mariangela Simao, assistant director general of Access to Medicines and Health Products at the World Health Organization, said that vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has been submitting data for approval of Covaxin “regularly and very quickly”, reported PTI. Simao said the global health body hoped that its technical committee will approve emergency use authorisation of Covaxin next week.
  • Tamil Nadu Health Health Minister Ma Subramanian said that 60 lakh people in the state have not yet been vaccinated against the coronavirus disease and the government was trying to identify and inoculate them, reported PTI.
  • Karnataka’s Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee chairperson MK Sudarshan dismissed reports of a lockdown in view of two cases of AY.4.2 sub-lineage of the Delta variant being found in the state, reported The Indian Express.

Global updates

  • The World Health Organization said it needed $23.4 billion (nearly Rs 174.99 lakh crore) over the next 12 months to tackle Covid-19 and urged G20 countries to help in securing the amount, reported AFP. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the money was required for Covid-19 tests, vaccines and treatments. 
  • Over 160 former world leaders and global figures have called on rich countries to immediately airlift millions of surplus Covid-19 vaccines to less developed areas, reported BBC. The leaders, including 36 former presidents and 30 former prime ministers, have said this in a letter addressed to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who will be hosting the G20 countries in Rome this weekend.
  • Britain said it will be removing the last seven countries on its travel “red list” from November 1. The move means no traveller vaccinated against the coronavirus will need to quarantine after arriving in the United Kingdom. The seven countries are Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
  • The coronavirus has infected over 24.55 crore people in the world and caused more than 49.80 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to the Johns Hopkins University.