India on Friday morning recorded 10,549 new coronavirus cases, pushing the overall tally of infections to 3,45,55,431 since the pandemic be...
India on Friday morning recorded 10,549 new coronavirus cases, pushing the overall tally of infections to 3,45,55,431 since the pandemic began in January last year. The number of new cases was 15.6% higher than Thursday’s count of 9,119.
The country’s toll rose to 4,67,468 after it recorded 488 more deaths in the last 24 hours. The number of active coronavirus cases in the country stood at 1,10,133.
So far, India has administered over 120.27 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Of these, 83,88,824 shots were administered on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said it was “closely monitoring” a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa. In a meeting on Friday, the global health body will determine if the strain should be designated as a “variant of interest” or “variant of concern”, reported the Hindustan Times.
South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant, called B.1.1.529. On Thursday, the Indian government had advised states and Union Territories to take note of the new variant and asked them to ensure rigorous screening of international travellers.
“This variant is reported to have a significantly high number of mutations, and thus, has serious public health implications for the country, in view of recently relaxed visa restrictions and opening up of international travel,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh...
