1. India’s coronavirus count rose to 46,59,985 on Saturday with a record rise of 97,570 new cases. The toll rose by 1,201 to 77,472. As many as 36,24,196 people have recovered from the infection, pushing the recovery rate to 77.77%. The case fatality rate has dropped to 1.66%.
  2. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced that it has resumed the clinical trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine in the United Kingdom after confirmation by the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority that it was safe to do so. The late-stage trials of the experimental vaccine, one of the most advanced in development, was put on hold this week after a study participant developed an unexplained illness. The company said it could not disclose further medical information.
  3. The Drugs Controller General of India has asked the Serum Institute of India to suspend recruitment in its clinical trials of AstraZeneca’s potential coronavirus vaccine in the country until further orders. The Serum Institute of India is developing the vaccine called AZD1222 in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
  4. Delhi reported another biggest single-day increase in the number of new coronavirus cases with 4,321 infections. The total number of cases stood at 2,14,069. With 28 more deaths, the toll rose to 4,715. Meanwhile, India’s first coronavirus airport testing facility was launched at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
  5. The Union Health Ministry urged private hospitals providing coronavirus treatment to ensure that patients are not denied beds and they get prompt care. Hospitals were also encouraged to protect frontline healthcare workers by adopting all practices on infection prevention and keep the staff motivated.
  6. Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb threatened to take action against certain media houses for allegedly spreading “fake news” about the coronavirus situation in the state. Deb also claimed that the media was confusing people of Tripura with their “overexcited reporting”. The chief minister’s remarks came after his administration drew heavy criticism for its management of the coronavirus crisis.
  7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi coined a new slogan to caution people from lowering their guard against the coronavirus till a vaccine was developed. “Jab tak dawai nahi, tab tak dhilai nahi [no carelessness till a medicine is found],” Modi said at the inauguration of a housewarming ceremony of 1.75 lakh houses built in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
  8. Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Bharat Biotech said it had successfully conducted clinical trials of its potential coronavirus vaccine, or Covaxin, on animals. The company said no adverse effects were seen in animals who were immunised with a two-dose regimen of the vaccine.
  9. India and 168 other countries voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution that recognised the coronavirus as one of the greatest challenges in the world and endorsed the role of World Health Organization in handling the pandemic. The United States and Israel objected opposed the resolution.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 2.85 crore people and claimed 9,16,348 lives, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 1.92 crore people have recovered from the infection worldwide.