10.51 pm: The District Magistrate of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh announces that a lockdown will be imposed in the district from 7 pm on July 24 to 5 am of July 27, ANI reports. All essential services, including dairy, medical stores, petrol pumps, gas agencies, will remain open. However, grocery stores, general stores and private offices will be shut.

10.47 pm: The World Health Organization says that the United States, Brazil and India, which are all suffering fast rises in coronavirus cases, can still get on top of the pandemic, Reuters reports. They are “powerful, able, democratic countries who have tremendous internal capacities to deal with this disease”, Mike Ryan, head of the WHO emergencies programme, tells a Geneva briefing.

8.51 pm: Andaman and Nicobar Islands register 19 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, taking the total tally of infections in the state to 240, ANI reports.

8.48 pm: Gujarat records 1,078 new coronavirus cases in its biggest single-day jump in infections on Thursday, PTI reports. With this, the total tally of cases in the state rises to 52,563. The toll climbs to 2,257 after 28 new fatalities were reported.

8.44 pm: Delhi registers 1,041 coronavirus cases and 26 deaths on Thursday, ANI reports, quoting the Capital’s daily health bulletin. With this, the total tally of Covid-19 infections in the city rises to 1,27,364 and the toll is now 3,745. As many as 1,09,065 patients have recovered.

8.41 pm: West Bengal reports 2,436 new coronavirus cases and 34 deaths on Thursday, ANI reports, quoting figures by the state health department. The total number of infections in the state now stands at 51,757 and the toll is 1,255.

8.40 pm: A 14-year-old girl, who was undergoing treatment at the Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre in Delhi, was allegedly sexually assaulted by another coronavirus patient in the washroom, PTI reports. The police have arrested the man along with one of his associates.

8.36 pm: Uttar Pradesh registers its biggest single-day rise of 2,516 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally tally of infections in the state to 58,104, PTI reports. The toll from the disease rises by 35 to 1,298.

8.34 pm: Uttarakhand registers 145 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 5,445, ANI reports.

8.30 pm: The total tally of coronavirus cases in Madhya Pradesh rises to 15,474 after 632 new cases were reported on Thursday, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. The toll in the state rises by 10 and is now 780.

8.27 pm: Jammu and Kashmir records 718 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, ANI reports. Of these, 117 were infections were registered in Jammu, while 601 cases were recorded in Kashmir division. With this, the total tally of infections in the Union Territory rises to 16,429, including 282 deaths.

8.24 pm: Haryana registers 789 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to in the state to 28,975, ANI reports.

8.22 pm: The total number of coronavirus cases in Mumbai rises to 1,05,829 after 1,257 new cases were reported on Thursday. The toll from the disease rises by 55 to 5,927.

8.21 pm: Karnataka reports 5,030 new Covid-19 infections and 97 deaths on Thursday, according to the state health department figures quoted by ANI. Of these, 2,207 new cases were registered in Bengaluru Urban. The total tall of infections in the state stands at 80,863, including 1,616 deaths.

8.19 pm: Maharashtra reports 9,895 new cases of the coronavirus and 298 deaths on Thursday, ANI reports, quoting the state health department. With this, the total tally of infections in the state rises to 3,47,253, including 12,854 deaths.

7.38 pm: The Maharashtra Cabinet has decided to postpone elections for mayor and deputy mayor for three more months, ANI reports. The elections were scheduled to be held before May 1, but due to the coronavirus crisis a three-month extension was granted on April 27. This extension ends July 27.

7.30 pm: The Central Pollution Control Board has ordered that masks and gloves used by all persons irrespective of their Covid-19 status, should be cut and kept in paper bags for at least 72 hours before disposal, PTI reports. “Discarded PPEs from general public at commercial establishments, shopping malls, institutions, offices, etc. should be stored in separate bin for 3 days, thereafter, disposed of as dry general solid waste after cutting/shredding,” the order to commercial establishments says.

7.19 pm: Twitter has said that its average daily growth of users has risen by 34% in the second quarter of 2020-’21, amid the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns around the world, AP reports. This is the largest quarterly jump in users ever recorded by the company.

7.12 pm: Punjab reports 441 new cases and eight deaths. Total number of cases now stands at 11,739 including 3,721 active cases, 7,741 persons cured and 277 deaths.

7 pm: The Uttar Pradesh government says that liquor shops outside containment zones will remain open during the lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays, ANI reports.

6.51 pm: Andhra Pradesh reports 7,998 cases and 61 deaths, according to ANI. Total number of cases now stands at 72,711 including 34,272 active cases, 37,555 discharged cases and 884 deaths.

6.33 pm: Unemployment in the United States has hit 14.2 lakh, amid a surge in coronavirus cases, AFP reports.

6.23 pm: Only six new cases have been recorded in Dharavi slum in Mumbai, Mumbai Mirror reports. The total number of cases in Asia’s largest slum is now 2,513.

6.08 pm: Tamil Nadu reports 6,472 new coronavirus cases and 88 deaths today. With this, the state has 1,92,964 total cases and 3,232 deaths.

6.06 pm: Railway Board chairperson VK Yadav says the last special train to transport migrant workers ran on July 9, reports ANI.

6.02 pm: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has approved guidelines for shooting of films and music videos during “Unlock-2” period in the state, ANI reports. Only 50 people will be allowed at the shooting venue with strict adherence to safety protocols.

5.30 pm: Mumbai’s Dharavi area records six new coronavirus cases. With this, the total cases in the area stands at 2,513.

5.26 pm: Chandigarh reports 20 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number to 800, according to ANI.

5.20 pm: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, admitted to Mumbai’s Nanavati hospital for the coronavirus, dismisses reports that he has tested negative. “...This news is incorrect, irresponsible, fake and an incorrigible lie,” he tweets.

5.17 pm: A seven-day lockdown will be imposed in Nagaland’s capital Kohima from July 25.

3.56 pm: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma says that the state government will invest Rs 75 crore to strengthen the infrastructure of 186 public health centres amid the coronavirus crisis, reports PTI.

3.52 pm: Eligibility criteria for admission to National Institute of Technology and centrally funded technical institutions to be relaxed in view of coronavirus outbreak, says Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. “JEE Main 2020 qualified candidates will now only need to obtain a passing certificate in Class 12 examination irrespective of the marks obtained,” he adds.

3.47 pm: Uttar Pradesh records 2,529 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to ANI. The state now has 21,003 active cases, Principal Health Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad says.

3.45 pm: A three-member central team, which visited Bihar to assess the coronavirus situation, on Wednesday warned that the state’s low testing rate may affect its case fatality rate – the number of deaths among the cases detected. The team asked health authorities to keep a weekly tab of the case fatality rate to improve the state government’s preparedness.

Read more here: Bihar’s low testing may affect case fatality rate, warns central team

3.21 pm: The Jharkhand Assembly Secretariat has sealed till July 27 for sanitisation after reports of some staff members testing positive for Covid19, reports ANI. All meetings of the Assembly committees will remain suspended till July 31.

2.50 pm: SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre in Chennai has started the first phase of human trials of Covaxin, a drug that has been indigenously developed to fight the coronavirus, reports The Times of India.

1.59 pm: The United States records over 1,100 new coronavirus deaths for a second day in a row, including a record one-day rise in fatalities in Alabama, California, Nevada and Texas, Reuters reports.

1.33 pm: Puducherry’s coronavirus cases rise to 2,420 on Thursday.

1.32 pm: Eighty-four people test positive for the coronavirus at Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan, ANI reports.

1.28 pm: Himachal Pradesh records 44 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, taking its overall count to 1,769.

12.59 pm: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacks Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister over the condition of health facilities in the state.

“In the Covid-era, health facilities should be up and running,” she tweets. “But, Mahoba women’s hospital is in this condition. You have seen the bad state of hospitals in Bareilly and Gorakhpur. In Lucknow, the chief minister, who makes statements about health facilities, is interested in hiding these conditions, not improving them.”

12.57 pm: Pakistan records 1,763 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 1,69,191, according to PTI.

12.55 pm: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra says movement of people will be restricted in Bhopal during 10-day lockdown, which starts from July 25, reports ANI. “People will need e-passes for movement,” he adds. “People are requested to purchase essential items before implementation of lockdown.”

12.52 pm: Odisha records 1,264 new coronavirus cases today, taking its total to 21,099.

12.50 pm: The Supreme Court refuses to entertain a petition seeking a direction to the AYUSH Ministry to develop a standard Yoga protocol to enhance coronavirus resistance among people, reports ANI.

11.45 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the country has not stopped even during the pandemic. “Till the vaccine comes, where we have to fight vigorously against the coronavirus, development works also have to be carried forward with full force,” he says at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of Manipur Water Supply Project.

11.12 am: Rajasthan reports 339 new coronavirus cases and five deaths, taking the state tally to 32,673 including 588 deaths, 23,498 recoveries and 8,587 active cases, reports ANI.

11.03 am: Migrants may not be behind the latest increase in coronavirus cases in Bihar, indicates latest state data, reports The Indian Express. Only two of the top 10 districts that saw the return of a large population currently have the highest case count.

11 am: The West Bengal government will buy 18 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (or RT-PCR) machines to increase Covid-19 testing to 25,000 samples every day, reports The Indian Express. The Mamata Banerjee-led administration also plans to increase manpower in laboratories to meet the target.

10.58 am: Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard says that India will have to manufacture a vaccine on an “enormous scale”, reports The Hindu. “First of all, you have got to manufacture it at an enormous scale, for a country like India, to be able to vaccinate a large proportion of the population,” he says. “Then you actually have to get out and deliver the vaccine on a scale that has never been seen before.”

10.55 am: Glenmark’s drug, Favipiravir, quickens recovery among mild and moderate Covid-19 cases, the pharmaceutical company said while announcing results of its phase three clinical trials on Wednesday, reports Hindustan Times.

10.50 am: National carrier Air India will slash employee allowances by 20% to 50%, reports PTI. The latest order will be implemented from April. The order says that the basic salary and allowances, including dearness and house rent, associated with it will stay the same.

10.46 am: The family members of a coronavirus patient allegedly set fire to an ambulance in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, nearly 500 km from state capital Bengaluru, reports NDTV. They reportedly tried to beat up the doctor at the Intensive Care Unit of a local hospital, where the patient died.

10.28 am: A Madhya Pradesh Cabinet minister has been admitted to the Chirayu Medical College and Hospital in Bhopal after he tested positive, reports ANI. The minister had attended a Cabinet meeting the day before and also the funeral of Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon on Tuesday.

10.20 am: Five states with highest number of cases in last 24 hours

Maharashtra: 10,576

Andhra Pradesh: 6,045

Tamil Nadu: 5,849

Karnataka: 4,764

Uttar Pradesh: 2,300

10.19 am: Five states with highest number of deaths in last 24 hours

Tamil Nadu: 518

Maharashtra: 280

Andhra Pradesh: 65

Karnataka: 55

West Bengal: 39

9.26 am: India registers a record 45,720 new cases and 1,129 deaths. With this, the country’s tally is now 12,38,635 and toll stood at 29,861.

9.06 am: A total of 3,50,823 samples were tested on Wednesday, says the Indian Council of Medical Research.

8.29 am: The toll in the US rises to 1,42,942 with 1,059 deaths reported in last 24 hours.

8.27 am: United States registers 63,967 new cases in last 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University.

8.25 am: With over 4,13,000 cases, California reports the highest number of infections in any US state, surpassing New York, according to AFP.

7.35 am: The United Nations General Assembly decides to let leaders across the world to send videos instead of physically gathering in September, reports Reuters. “Each Member State, observer State and the European Union can submit a pre-recorded statement of its Head of State, Vice-President, Crown Prince or Princess, Head of Government, Minister or Vice-Minister, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall ... after introduction by their representative who is physically present,” according to the decision.

7.33 am: Ohio governor orders masks to be worn inside businesses, reports Reuters.

7.29 am: Brazil registers daily record of nearly 68,000 new cases, says the health ministry.

7.28 am: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has again tested positive, AFP reports citing his office. He will extend his two-week quarantine and suspend upcoming travel plans

7.12 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research approves a second rapid antigen test kit, reports Hindustan Times. Developed and manufactured by Mylab Discovery Solutions, it is the first Indian made test kit to be approved. The test, named Pathocatch Covid-19 Antigen Rapid testing kit, It will be immediately available for orders and will be priced around Rs 450.

7.10 am: Nagaland reports 54 new cases. With this, the state’s total count is now 1,084, says Health Minister S Pangnyu Phom.

7.09 am: Jharkhand’s tally rises to 6,682 with 439 fresh infections, reports PTI. The toll in the state is now 64 with three more fatalities.

7.07 am: Assam records 972 fresh cases, taking its tally to 27,744. The toll rises to 56 with two new deaths.

7.06 am: A World Health Organization expert says the first use of a vaccine against Covid-19 cannot be expected before early 2021, reports Reuters. “We’re making good progress,” says Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies programme. “Realistically it is going to be the first part of next year before we start seeing people getting vaccinated. And we need to be fair about this, because this is a global good. Vaccines for this pandemic are not for the wealthy, they are not for the poor, they are for everybody,” he said.

7.03 am: Here are the top updates from Wednesday

  • India on Wednesday recorded 37,724 new cases, taking the country’s tally to 11,92,915. The toll increased by 648 to 28,732. The overall count includes 4,11,133 active cases and 7,53,049 recoveries. The Centre said recovery rate of coronavirus patients has crossed 63% after a record 28,472 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours.
  • Several states in India on Wednesday extended lockdowns in an effort to control the increasing spread of coronavirus cases as India’s tally neared the 12-lakh mark. In Manipur, a complete lockdown would be imposed for 14 days from July 23. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has announced a six-day shutdown in the Valley, except for Bandipora district, from Wednesday evening. Bhopal will also be under lockdown from July 24 to August 3.
  • Nearly 15% of India’s population may have developed antibodies against Covid-19, according to an analysis by a private laboratory. The facility, Thyrocare, on Tuesday shared the data from its 60,000 antibody tests conducted across 600 locations over 20 days.
  • The vaccine against the coronavirus being developed at the Oxford University in the United Kingdom is likely to arrive in India by November and will be worth around Rs 1,000, said the Indian company collaborating with the British experts.
  • Maharashtra recorded 10,576 new cases in a day on Wednesday. This is the state’s highest single-day rise so far. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 3,37,607. This includes 1,87,769 recoveries and 12,556 deaths. The count in Delhi rose to 1,26,323 with 1,227 new cases, and that of Tamil Nadu went up to 1,86,492.
  • The Delhi High Court asked the University Grants Commission to clarify if final year examinations can be conducted based on multiple choice questions, assignments and presentations. The court was hearing a petition filed against the Delhi University’s decision to hold open book exams for final year undergraduate students during the coronavirus outbreak.
  • The global coronavirus count is now over 1.48 crore, and the toll has crossed 6.15 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 84.29 lakh people have recovered so far.