1. India’s coronavirus count rose to 69,06,151 on Friday as the country reported 70,496 new cases in the last 24 hours. The toll rose by 964 to 1,06,490. There are 8,93,592 active cases in the country, and 59,06,069. The recovery rate stood at 85.52%.
  2. China claimed that Covid-19 broke out in various parts of the world last year, but it was the only country to have reported and taken action against it. Beijing also denied United States’ allegations that the virus first emerged from a bio-lab in Wuhan, or from the country’s wet markets. “We all know that the epidemic broke out in various places in the world at the end of last year, while China was the first to report the outbreak, identified the pathogen and shared the genome sequence with the world,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
  3. Maharashtra recorded 12,134 new coronavirus cases, pushing the state’s overall count to 15,06,018. The toll from the disease rose by 302 to 39,732.
  4. Entry to the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala has been banned till October 15 after at least 10 priests, including the chief priest and the joint chief priest, tested positive for the coronavirus. V Ratheesan, the temple’s chief executive officer, said the priest for special ceremonies will perform daily pujas without the devotees.
  5. The Indian Medical Association on Thursday questioned the scientific basis of the government’s protocol based on ayurveda and yoga for the prevention as well as treatment of asymptomatic and mild patients of Covid-19.
  6. A report prepared by the National Centre for Disease Control has warned that Delhi should prepare for an increase of 15,000 daily coronavirus cases during the winter season. The government institute said that festive gatherings, seasonal illnesses and influx of patients from outside would add to the city’s tally.
  7. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa appealed to the public not to pay heed to speculation about reopening of schools in the state. Yediyurappa said his government will hold meetings between politicians, experts and senior officials before arriving at a decision on the matter.
  8. United States President Donald Trump’s doctor declared he is safe to return to public life from Saturday. The American president, who was hospitalised after being diagnosed with Covid-19, was discharged on Monday.
  9. The National Institutes of Health in the United States said it has begun a late-stage trial of a combination of remdesivir and a highly concentrated solution of antibodies that neutralise Covid-19.
  10. The global coronavirus count crossed 3.64 crore and the toll rose to 10,50,869, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of recoveries crossed 2.53 crore.