1. India on Thursday registered a record 1,26,789 new coronavirus cases, taking its overall count to 1,29,28,574. The toll went up to 1,66,862, with 685 deaths in the last 24 hours. India’s count of active cases stood at 9,10,319, while the number of recoveries reached 1,18,51,393. Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab accounted for 84% of the cases reported in the last day.
  2. Delhi recorded 7,437 new cases, the sharpest daily rise this year. The city’s tally rose to 6,98,005 cases. The highest single-day increase in Delhi till date – 8,593 cases – was reported on November 11. As many as 91,770 people were tested in 24 hours, of which 8.1% were positive. With 24 more deaths, the toll jumped to 11,157.
  3. Maharashtra reported 56,286 new coronavirus cases, taking its caseload to 32,29,547. With 376 deaths, the toll increased to 57,028, the health department said. On Wednesday, the state had recorded the highest daily count of 59,907 cases and 322 fatalities. Mumbai recorded a single-day jump of 8,938 cases and 25 deaths. With this, its infection count reached 4,91,980 and toll stood at 11,881.
  4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a four-day festival for coronavirus vaccination even as many states are reporting a shortage of vaccines. During his meeting with the chief ministers, the prime minister also stressed on the need to create micro-containment zones and conduct extensive testing in order to rein in the spread of the coronavirus.
  5. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The chief minister said he will be treated at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode.
  6. A night curfew was imposed in Bengaluru and six other cities in Karnataka. This will be in effect from 10 pm to 5 am starting Saturday. Earlier in the day, the district authorities in Noida and Ghaziabad also imposed a night curfew with immediate effect in view of a surge in coronavirus cases. Officials said the curfew will be in place from 10 pm to 5 am till April 17. Madhya Pradesh announced that all its urban areas will go under a lockdown from 6 pm on Friday till 6 am on Monday.
  7. The Union health ministry has refused requests from the department of higher education to inoculate students, faculty and staff members at Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, according to a circular from April 5.
  8. New Zealand temporarily suspended entry for all travellers from India, including its own citizens, after several of those of who arrived in the country tested positive for the coronavirus.
  9. Data from the health ministry showed that 79,688 children in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi contracted the coronavirus between March 1 and April 4.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 13.29 crore people and killed 28,86,573, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 7.55 crore people have recovered from the infection.