LIVE: Kerala considering re-opening schools, consulting experts, says CM

Covid-19 live updates: Tamil Nadu extends ban on religious gatherings; Microsoft won't forecast new date for returning to office.

Coronavirus update:India reported 34,973 new cases of Covid-19 and 260 deaths from the disease in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Thursday, marking a 19.1 per cent decrease in daily infections compared to Thursday.

The new cases took the total to 33.1 million and fatalities are at 4,42,009. Active cases--patients under treatment for Covid--are at 4,42,009, said the ministry.

The fifth Test match between India and England, scheduled to begin Friday in Manchester, was cancelled after support staff in India�s squad tested positive for Covid-19.

World coronavirus update:The WHO�s Africa unit is pleading with countries that have vaccine supply agreements with the continent to fast-track these deliveries after Covax, the global program set up to immunize the world, cut its 2021 supply forecast by more than a quarter.

Ecuador registered an 85% decline in diagnosed Covid-19 cases as of the final week of August thanks to a public vaccination campaign that inoculated more than half of its people, Bloomberg quoted the Health Ministry as saying.

Microsoft said it won�t forecast a new date for a full reopening of its US work sites. The company said it will now open US work sites as soon as it�s able to do so safely based on public health guidance.

10:08 PM

Mumbai reports 441 COVID-19 cases, five deaths

Mumbai on Friday reported 441 new COVID-19 cases and five deaths, taking the tally of infections in the city to 7,34,337 and death toll to 16,011, a civic official said.

 

Incidentally, the 10-day Ganesh festival began on Friday, though a slew of restrictions are in place to ensure there is no crowding on the streets.

 

The discharge of 175 people during the day took the recovery count in the city to 7,11,322, which is 97 per cent of the overall case tally.

 

The country's financial capital has 4,537 active cases now. On Thursday, the city had reported 458 cases and six deaths.

9:34 PM

PM Modi chairs high-level meeting on Covid situation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting on the Covid situation and vaccination as the government noted high caseloads in states like Kerala and Maharashtra to say that there can be no room for complacency.

 

Modi reviewed the status of augmentation of bed capacity for pediatric care and of facilities supported under "COVID Emergency Response Package II", and it was noted that states have been advised to redesign and orient primary care and block level health infrastructure in these areas to manage the situation in rural areas, a statement said.

 

States are being asked to maintain a buffer stock for drugs used in management of COVID-19, mucormycosis, MIS-C at the district level, it added.

 

"It was discussed that across the world, there are countries where the number of active Covid cases continues to remain high. In India too, the figures from states like Maharashtra and Kerala indicate that there can be no room for complacency," the statement said.

9:04 PM

One death, 10 fresh coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh

One more person died from coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Friday as 10 fresh cases surfaced, taking the state's infection count 17,09,512, according to a statement. So far,22,864 people have died from the infection in the state. Of the 10 fresh cases, three were reported from Gautam Buddh Nagar and one each from Allahabad, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Jalaun, Rae Bareli and Kaushambi, the UP government said in the statement.

 

One death was reported from Banda during this period, it said.

 

In the past 24 hours, 16 patients have recovered from the disease in the state, taking the number of cured people to 16,86,457. The recovery rate has now come to 98.7 per cent, the statement said. An official spokesperson said there is no active case in 33 of 75 districts of the state. The count of active cases in the state stands at 191, the statement said.

8:58 PM

Maha records 4,154 Covid-19 cases, 44 deaths

Maharashtra reported 4,154 new coronavirus infections and 44 fatalities on Friday, a health official said, according to PTI.

 

It took the tally of COVID-19 cases in the state to 64,91,179 and death toll to 1,38,061.

 

The number of daily cases and fatalities witnessed a marginal dip. 

8:47 PM

Haryana reports 12 fresh cases

Haryana reported 12 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, raising its tally to 7,70,626, PTI reported.

 

The state did not record any death in the past 24 hours and the fatality toll stood at 9,686, a health bulletin said.

 

Of the fresh cases, six were reported from Gurgaon and three from Ambala districts.

8:46 PM

US Federal mandate takes vaccine decision off employers' hands

Larger US businesses now won't have to decide whether to require their employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Doing so is now federal policy, AP reported.

 

President Joe Biden announced sweeping new orders Thursday that will require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate immunizations or offer weekly testing. The new rules could affect as many as 100 million Americans, although it's not clear how many of those people are currently unvaccinated.

 

Large swaths of the private sector have already stepped in to mandate shots for at least some of their employees. But Biden said Thursday that "many of us are frustrated with the nearly 80 million Americans who are not fully vaccinated.

8:12 PM

Telangana logs 220 new Covid-19 cases, one death

Telangana on Friday logged 220 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 6,61,006, while the death toll rose to 3,892 with one more fatality, PTI reported.

 

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 71, followed by Nalgonda (17) and Khammam and Ranga Reddy (12 each) districts, a state government bulletin said, providing details as of 5.30 PM today.

7:56 PM

UAE allows return of fully vaccinated with WHO-approved Covid-19 jabs from 15 countries, including India

The UAE on Friday said it will allow the return of those vaccinated fully with WHO-approved COVID-19 jabs and holding valid residence visas from 15 countries previously on the suspended list, including India, from September 12, PTI reported.

 

The National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) in a tweet shared an official statement saying that those who can return also include those who stayed abroad for over six months.

 

"UAE allows return of fully vaccinated (WHO-approved vaccines) holders of valid residence visa, including those who stayed abroad for over six months, starting from September 12, 2021," the statement said.

7:55 PM

Goa records 45 Covid-19 cases, two deaths

Goa's COVID-19 infection tally reached 1,74,770 on Friday with an addition of 45 cases, a health official said, PTI reported.

 

The state also recorded two deaths due to the viral infection during the day, while 81 people were discharged from hospitals.

 

The death toll in the coastal state rose to 3,214 and the recovery count stood at 1,70,716.

7:25 PM

Kerala considering re-opening schools, consulting experts, says CM

7:13 PM

Karnataka reports 967 new cases

7:11 PM

Moderna to develop single-dose booster shot for Covid-19 and flu

US drug maker Moderna has announced the development of a single-dose vaccine candidate that is a combination of a Covid-19 booster as well as a seasonal flu jab, IANS reported.

 

"We believe our mRNA platform can solve the world's greatest health challenges, from diseases impacting millions, to ultra-rare diseases impacting dozens, to medicines personalised down to the individual level," CEO Stephane Bancel said.

 

"Today we are announcing the first step in our novel respiratory vaccine programme with the development of a single dose vaccine that combines a booster against Covid-19 and a booster against flu," she added.

6:53 PM

Japan vaccine minister seeks to be next prime minister

Japan's outspoken vaccinations minister, Taro Kono, announced Friday that he is running to become head of the governing party, who usually is chosen prime minister, and pledged to be reform-minded and gets things done, AP reported.

 

Kono, 58, a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., who is fluent in English, has many fans among younger people, with whom he communicates via social media. Such things are still a rarity in Japanese politics.

 

I will embrace your views and worries, share information with you, convey a solid message and work with you to overcome this crisis that we face, Kono said at a packed news conference in Tokyo, referring to the pandemic.

6:52 PM

Sikkim reports 57 new Covid-19 cases, one more fatality

Sikkim's COVID-19 tally rose to 30,501 as 57 more people tested positive for the virus while one more fatality pushed the death toll to 377, a health department bulletin said on Friday, PTI reported.

 

South Sikkim district registered 20 new cases followed by 19 in East Sikkim, 15 in South Sikkim and 3 in North Sikkim district.

 

The Himalayan state now has 847 active COVID-19 cases, as 28,980 people have recovered from the virus, it said.

6:19 PM

Concern over 'sharp increase' in Covid cases as Singapore plans to reopen

As Singapore plans to reopen economic activities, the government on Friday expressed concerns over a "sharp increase" in the number of COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks that might "overwhelm" the city-state's healthcare system, PTI reported.

 

The average daily number of Covid-19 cases has risen from 76 two weeks ago to 288 in the past week, according to media reports.

 

While we expected an increase in the number of cases every day when we open up, the sharp rate of increase is worrying, Covid-19 multi-ministry task force co-chair Gan Kim Yong told a press conference.