1. India’s coronavirus count rose to 66,85,083 with 61,267 new cases on Tuesday. The toll increased by 884 to 1,03,569. So far, more than 55 lakh people have recovered from the infection. The Union health ministry said at a press briefing that the number of new recoveries have been more than new cases over the last two weeks.
  2. The Union health ministry released guidelines for festive celebrations amid the coronavirus crisis. The events are permitted only outside containment zones. The guidelines also mandate the provision of ambulances at venues. Earlier in the day, the guidelines for cinema halls and multiplexes, which are scheduled to open from October 15, were released. The halls are permitted to operate at 50% capacity so as to adhere to physical distancing norms.
  3. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that a vaccine against the coronavirus may be ready by the end of this year. “We will need vaccines and there is hope that by the end of this year we may have a vaccine,” he said, according to Reuters. “There is hope.”
  4. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that scientists believe smaller droplets and particles from coronavirus-positive patients can infect others in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation even when a six-feet distance is maintained. The health body added that Covid-19 can spread through the virus lingering in the air, sometimes for hours, acknowledging experts’ concerns about airborne transmission.
  5. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Capital is past the peak of the second wave of Covid-19, and said the situation has been controlled to a large extent.
  6. Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said he has tested positive for the coronavirus. “My Covid-19 report has come back positive,” he said in a video on Twitter. “I don’t have any symptoms such as fever, but since the report is positive, I am self-isolating. I advise those who have met me in the last to get themselves tested.” Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu also tested positive for the infection. On Monday, he shared a stage with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, state ministers and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh at a rally at Sangrur, Punjab.
  7. An analysis conducted by the Union health ministry’s Integrated Surveillance Programme has shown that 62.5% of coronavirus patients in hospitals are below the age of 40. The study also revealed that 53% of fatalities in hospitals are of people over the age of 60 and 88% of those aged 45 and above.
  8. A Drugs Controller General of India expert panel has asked pharmaceutical company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to submit a revised protocol for performing phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V in India.
  9. The White House has blocked strict Food and Drug Administration guidelines on bringing potential vaccines for the coronavirus to market, ensuring their approval before the November 3 presidential election. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump on Monday evening returned to the White House, where he will continue to receive treatment for Covid-19. Trump had tested positive on October 2.
  10. The global coronavirus count crossed 3.55 crore and the toll rose to 10,45,390, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of recoveries crossed 2.47 crore.