Coronavirus Highlights: The recovery rate is 97.52 per cent - the highest since March last year. (File)
India added 36,401 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours. The country's overall case load now stands at 3.22 crore, while total fatalities are at 4.32 lakhs, according to the health ministry.
The active cases have fallen to 3,64,129 - the lowest in 149 days - and are 1.13 per cent of total cases. 39,157 people were discharged after treatment in the past 24 hours, taking cumulative recoveries to around 3.15 crore. The recovery rate is 97.52 per cent - the highest since March last year.
Covid-19 vaccination efficacy is decreasing over time, US authorities warned Wednesday as they authorized booster shots for all Americans from September 20 starting eight months after an individual has been fully vaccinated.
"The available data make very clear that protection against (coronavirus) infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease," the nation's top health officials said in a statement.
Here are the Highlights on Coronavirus Cases:
Israel To Begin Covid Booster Shots For Over 40 Year-OldsIsraelis aged 40 and over will be able to receive coronavirus vaccine booster shots starting this weekend, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Thursday, as the country battles a spike in infections.
Israel was one of the first countries to launch a vaccination drive in mid-December via an agreement with Pfizer to obtain millions of paid vaccine doses in exchange for sharing data on their effectiveness.
The inoculation campaign was hailed as a success story that helped drastically reduce infections in the country of nine million.
Coronavirus News: Assam Logs 713 Cases, 10 Related Fatalities In 24 Hours
Assam's Covid tally rose to 5,82,750 on Thursday as 713 more people tested positive for the infection, while 10 related fatalities pushed the state's coronavirus death count to 5,538, a health bulletin said, reported news agency PTI.
Kamrup Metropolitan district, under which Guwahati falls, recorded the highest number of new cases at 136, followed by Golaghat at 52, Lakhimpur at 48, and Barpeta at 41.
Dibrugarh, Kamrup Metropolitan, and Jorhat reported two fresh fatalities each, while one death each was registered in Chirang, Golaghat, Sonitpur, and Kamrup Rural.
Coronavirus News: Bengal Reports 731 Cases, 12 Related Fatalities In 24 HoursWest Bengal's coronavirus tally increased to 15,40,989 on Thursday as 731 more people tested positive for the infection, while 12 related fatalities pushed the state's death count to 18,337, a health bulletin said, reported news agency ANI.
The highest number of 89 new cases were reported from Kolkata. As many as 781 people were cured of the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to 98.18 per cent.
Coronavirus News: One Death, 63 Cases In Punjab In 24 HoursOne person died from coronavirus in Punjab on Thursday as 63 fresh cases took the state's infection count to 6,00,123, according to a medical bulletin, reported news agency PTI. So far, the virus has claimed 16,347 lives in the state. The number of active cases rose to 571 from 545 on Wednesday.
Coronavirus News: Madhya Pradesh Logs 18 Cases In 24 HoursMadhya Pradesh today recorded 18 cases of coronavirus which took the state's tally of infections to 7,92,081, an official from the health department said, reported news agency PTI.
The count of recoveries rose to 7,81,471, while the death count remained unchanged at 10,515, the official said, adding that the state now has 95 active cases.
Coronavirus News: Zero Deaths In Jammu And Kashmir In 24 Hours; 110 CasesJammu and Kashmir recorded 110 fresh cases of coronavirus today, taking the number of infections to 3,23,792 while the death count stood at 4,400 as no new death was reported in the last 24 hours, officials said, reported news agency PTI.
Of the fresh cases, 33 were from the Jammu division and 77 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said.
Coronavirus News: 25 Cases With 2 Related Deaths In Delhi In 24 Hours
Delhi records 25 fresh cases of coronavirus in 24 hours with two related deaths, authorities said, reported news agency PTI. The national capital's positivity rate has dipped to 0.04%, they said.
Coronavirus News: 409 New Cases, 3 Related Deaths In 24 Hours In TelanganaTelangana today registered 409 cases of coronavirus, pushing the tally to 6,54,035, while the death count rose to 3,852 with three fatalities in the last 24 hours, reported news agency PTI.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 71 new infections, followed by Karimnagar (45) and Nalgonda (31), a state government bulletin said.
Coronavirus News: 83 Cases In Goa With Two Related Fatalities In 24 Hours
With the addition of 83 cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the tally of infections in Goa rose to 1,72,846 today, an official from the state health department said, reported news agency PTI.
As many as 59 patients were discharged from hospitals, while two died of the infection during the day, taking the count of recoveries to 1,68,764 and death count to 3,180, the official said.
Coronavirus News: Andhra Pradesh Moves Closer To Two Million CasesAdhra Pradesh's overall coronavirus tally inched closer to the two million-mark, touching 19,98,603, with the addition of 1,501 infections in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.
The total recoveries climbed to 19,69,169 after 1,697 infected persons got cured while the death count mounted to 13,696 with ten more deaths in the period.
According to the latest bulletin, the state now has 15,738 active Covid-19 cases.
Coronavirus News: 1,041 Cases, 68 Related Fatalities In Odisha In 24 HoursOdisha's overall coronavirus tally rose to 9,98,187 today as 1,041 people, including 128 children and adolescents, tested positive for the virus, while 68 fresh fatalities pushed the state's death count to 7,154, a health official said, reported news agency PTI.
Though the daily count had remained below 1,000 for three consecutive days from Monday, it rose to 1,041 in the last 24 hours.
The daily test positivity rate also increased to 1.57% from 1.43% on Wednesday, the official said.
Coronavirus News: 87,000 Infections In India After 2nd Dose, 46% From Kerala, Say SourcesOver 87,000 people across the country have been reported Covid positive after the second dose of vaccination, while 46 per cent of those cases are from Kerala, top Health Ministry sources have told NDTV.
Kerala reported close to 80,000 Covid cases after the first dose of vaccination, while 40,000 people were reported infected after the second dose, the sources said.
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Coronavirus News: Chennai Man Spends 109 Days On Ventilator, Recovers Without Lung TransplantIn a rare case, a Chennai man diagnosed with Covid and resultant lung complications spent over three months on Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and ventilator support and recovered without having to undergo a lung transplant, the city hospital which treated him said, reported news agency PTI.
56-year-old Mudijja stepped out of the hospital a healthy man today. "He became a living miracle, as none in the country has ever recovered without a lung transplant after spending over nine weeks with ECMO support. Further, the treatment and care at the hospital were such that he did not require a lung transplant, even after nine weeks of ECMO support," Rela Hospital, a multi-speciality quaternary care hospital claimed.
Coronavirus News: Nearly 6% Fully Vaccinated In UP, State Seeks Five Crore Doses Per MonthUttar Pradesh has sought five crore doses of Covid vaccines per month but is getting around seven to eight lakh doses per day, state Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh said, reported news agency PTI.
So far 5.9% of the total eligible beneficiaries in the state have received both doses of the vaccine.
Coronavirus News: States Preparing For Next Covid Wave With Focus On ChildrenSeveral states are building facilities with more paediatric beds, plus oxygen, due to concern that children returning to school without being vaccinated will be among the most vulnerable during a third wave of coronavirus infections.
Health administrators have taken heed of trends in the United States, where a record number of children have been hospitalised as the coronavirus Delta variant, first detected in India, has surged through unvaccinated populations.
Coronavirus LIVE Updates: Over 50 crore samples tested for COVID-19 in India till now, says ICMR
The number of samples tested for COVID-19 in the country has crossed the 50 crore-mark and in this month, the average daily testing has been over 17 lakh, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Thursday.
The last 10 crore tests were done in only 55 days, the ICMR said in a statement.
"On July 21, 2021, India had tested 45 crore COVID-19 samples, which reached the 50-crore mark on August 18, 2021," the ICMR said.
According to its website, 50,03,00,840 samples have been tested up to August 18.
Sydney vaccine rollout sped up as Australia's COVID-19 cases hit high
Australian authorities began doling out emergency COVID-19 vaccine supplies on Thursday in the Sydney suburbs worst hit by an outbreak of the fast-moving Delta strain, as the country reported its biggest one-day rise in COVID-19 infections, Reuters reported.
New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the ramp-up in inoculations in Australia's biggest city was providing some hope as the city battles its worst outbreak since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Single-day rise of 36,401 COVID-19 infections, 530 fatalities push India's tally of cases to 3,23,22,258, death count to 4,33,049: Centre
Active COVID-19 cases in country decline to 3,64,129: Union Health Ministry.
36,401 Fresh Cases In India, 3.4% Higher Than Yesterday
India added 36,401 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours.The country's overall case load now stands at 3.22 crore, while total fatalities are at 4.32 lakhs, according to the health ministry.
Covid-19 vaccination efficacy decreasing in US: Officials
Covid-19 vaccination efficacy is decreasing over time, US authorities warned Wednesday as they authorized booster shots for all Americans from September 20 starting eight months after an individual has been fully vaccinated.
Pope Francis Urges People To Get Covid-19 Jabs "As Act Of Love"Pope Francis said getting the coronavirus vaccine was "an act of love" Wednesday, as the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics joined a campaign to boost confidence in Covid-19 jabs.
"Thanks to God and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19," Francis said in a message for the US-based "It's Up to You" initiative.
"They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together," he said in the video, aimed at communities disproportionately affected by the virus in North, Central and South America.
Maharashtra Malls To Close Again Over "Fully Vaccinated Staff" OrderAs Maharashtra takes measured steps to unlock amid fears over Delta variant, malls across the state will close again over challenges in meeting the requirement of fully vaccinated staff. The Shopping Centres Association of India, however, has urged the Uddhav Thackeray government to consider opening the malls if the staff has "received one dose".
"In light of the modified guidelines issued by the government of Maharashtra on 16 August 2021, restraining mall staff from returning to workplace unless they are vaccinated with two doses with a gap 14 days after the second dose, it is unfortunate that malls across the state have decided to close down," read the official statement by the top industry body Shopping Centres Association of India.