India on Wednesday reported 38,353 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally of infections to 3,20,36,511 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020.

The figure on Wednesday was 36% higher than the previous day’s 28,204 cases.

The toll on Wednesday increased to 4,29,179, with the country reporting 497 deaths in the past 24 hours.

India currently has 3,86,351 active coronavirus cases, as per data from the Union health ministry. The country’s active caseload is the lowest in 140 days, according to the Union health ministry. A total of 3,12,20,981 people have recovered from the disease so far.

India has administered a total of 51,90,80,524 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses since the beginning of the vaccine drive on January 16. In the past day, a total of 41,38,646 vaccine doses were administered in the country, said the Union health ministry.

However, vaccination centres are increasingly running dry in Mumbai, even as officials and experts are awaiting a potential third wave. This month, municipal vaccination centres have functioned for five of 10 days. In July, vaccination centres in the city ran for 17 days, down from 25 days in June and 24 days in May.

Here are some other updates:

  • The Drug Controller General of India has approved a research study on the effect of the mixing Covaxin and Covishield vaccines. The Christian Medical College, Vellore, will conduct this study.
  • Himachal Pradesh has made it mandatory for everyone visiting the state to carry a negative RT-PCR report or proof of full vaccination from August 13, PTI reported. In an order issued on Tuesday night, the state government noted that the number of active coronavirus cases in the state was increasing, and the situation was “still precarious”.
  • The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has begun an offline verification process for fully vaccinated people which would enable them to obtain monthly local train passes, ANI reported. Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel on local trains from August 15.
  • The reproduction rate, or R value, of Covid-19 in India has crossed the 1.0 mark, the Union government said on Tuesday. The increasing trend of the reproduction, commonly known as “R value or number” in some states was a cause of concern, the government added.
  • The Centre has asked the Kerala government to examine whether the gap between two Covid-19 vaccine doses needs to be reduced, The Times of India reported. This was after a central team found that the Pathanamthitta district reported a total of 14,974 infections among people who took the first dose, and 5,042 cases among those who took both doses.
  • The possibility of the global eradication of Covid-19 is more than that for polio, but is much less so than smallpox, said an analysis in the journal BMJ Global Health on Tuesday. The study said that the challenges are increasing vaccination coverage and the potential need to update vaccine designs.
  • The city of Dubbo, located 240 miles from Sydney, became the latest in Australia to issue stay-at-home orders, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. This was after two cases of the Delta variant were reported.
  • Protesters took to the streets in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok to protest the government’s handling of the pandemic, Reuters reported.  The police on Tuesday fired tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse them.
  • Globally, Covid-19 has infected 20,39,80,078 people and led to 43,14,007 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, as per a count by the John Hopkins University.