India on Saturday reported 10,929 new Covid-19 cases, taking the overall tally of infections in the country to 3,43,44,683 since the pandemic began in January last year. The number of new cases was 14.14% lower than Friday’s count of 12,729 cases.

A total of 4,60,265 people have died due to the coronavirus till now, with 392 fatalities recorded in the past day.

The country presently has 1,46,950 active cases, and the number of active infections increased by 1,972 in the past 24 hours. The active case load is presently the lowest in 255 days, the Centre said.

In the past day, 20,75,942 people were administered Covid-19 vaccines. In all, 1,0792,19,546 doses have been administered across the country till Friday, according to the Union health ministry.

Other updates

  • Every second adult in Delhi has now been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and nearly nine out of 10 eligible persons have received the first dose, The Times of India reported. A total of 75,24,737 people in the Capital have received vaccines till now.
  • Air pollution may cause more severe cases of the coronavirus, All India Institute of Medical Sciences chief Randeep Guleria told ANI. He said that pollution has a major effect on the respiratory health, particularly among those who have lung diseases and asthma.

Global updates

  • Costa Rica has become the first country in the world to make it mandatory for children to take Covid-19 vaccinations, the BBC reported. The country has reached an agreement with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to acquire doses for vaccinating children from March 2022.
  •  The coronavirus has infected over 24.91 crore people across the world and caused more than 50.37 lakh deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University.