Coronavirus updates today: 18,870 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, marginally higher than yesterday

Covid updates: Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar - the three big states - reported zero Covid deaths

New Delhi: India reported less than 20,000 Covid cases for the second day in a row. It reported 18,870 new cases, just marginally higher than yesterday's figures (18,795). The country also reported 378 deaths.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus in India:

The active cases comprise 0.84 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.83 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the Union Heath Ministry said. A decrease of 9,686 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate - number of positive cases identified per 100 - stands at 1.25 per cent less than 3 per cent for last 30 days.
Out of 18,000-odd Covid cases, Kerala alone accounts for 11,196 of them. The state continues to report a high daily caseload, however the numbers have recently come down from the earlier 20,000 figure. The deaths in the state have jumped from 58 yesterday to 149 today.
With 1,630 cases, Tamil Nadu is the second southern state after Kerala with a high daily Covid caseload. It also reported 19 Covid deaths.
Maharashtra, the state with most number of Covid cases overall, reported 281 fresh cases over a 24-hour period. It also reported 60 deaths.
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar - the three big states - reported zero Covid deaths. Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand also reported zero Covid deaths.
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state, reported 16 new cases and one Covid death. Neighbouring Delhi, the national capital, reported 34 cases and 2 Covid deaths.
The coastal state of Goa, a big draw among tourists, reported 90 news cases and five Covid deaths.
With 1,380 cases, Mizoram leads the northeastern states in most number of new Covid cases in a day. The state also reported four Covid deaths. It is followed by Assam, which reported 390 cases and 10 Covid deaths.
The country's drug regulator has allowed vaccine maker Serum Institute to enrol kids aged 7-11 years for its trial of US drugmaker Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine. Serum Institute is already conducting a trial of its COVID-19 vaccine Covovax, a domestically produced version of Novavax's shot, in the 12-17 age group and has presented safety data for an initial 100 participants.The Novavax vaccine is yet to be granted approval by the health authorities.