Coronavirus Cases in India: 650 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,17,956
India's coronavirus count has crossed 78 lakh with a jump of 53,370 cases in the last 24 hours, government data shows. And 650 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,17,956. Meanwhile, 70,16,046 people in the country have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic. The country has been reporting a steady decline in its daily coronavirus infections after reaching a peak of about 90,000 cases a day in September. India, which reported its first case on January 30, is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States.Here are 10 developments in this big story:
The number of active cases stands at 6,80,680, according to the data from the Union Health Ministry. Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal and Delhi are the five states that reported the highest number of cases in the last 24 hours.
Karnataka reported 5,356 new infections and 51 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state's COVID-19 tally now stands at 7,93,907 lakh.
West Bengal reported 4,143 new COVID-19 cases and 60 related fatalities taking the overall tally in the state to 3,41,426 and the death count to 6,368.
Delhi on Friday reported over 4,000 coronavirus cases in a day, sparking concerns of a virus wave amid the festive season. Barring October 19, the national capital has been reporting over 3,000 cases daily for the last 10 days -- a worrying sign, especially when COVID-19 levels have shown a drastic drop nationally.
Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has been cleared for the third phase of clinical trials. The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker had applied to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on October 2, seeking its permission to conduct Phase 3 trials for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Air India will operate its flight to Wuhan on October 30, the first after the central Chinese city, from where the coronavirus initially emerged in December last year, was officially declared safe from the virus in June and all curbs were lifted. A Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) flight will be operated on the Delhi-Wuhan sector on October 30, the Indian Embassy in Beijing announced on Friday.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday said that the next three months are going to be decisive in determining the situation of coronavirus in the country and urged people to necessary precautions during the coming festival and winter season.
The global figure now stands at over 4.12 crore cases and over 11.3 lakh deaths, according to WHO.
The US remains the country hit hardest by far by the health crisis gripping the world, with over 2.23 lakh deaths.
