Here’s what happened on Friday:

  1. India’s drug regulator has granted emergency use authorisation to ZyCov-D, a three-dose coronavirus vaccine, developed by pharmaceutical company Zydus Cadila, said the Union Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday. This is the first vaccine in the country that can be administered to children aged 12 years and above.
  2. India on Friday recorded 36,571 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 3,23,58,829 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The number of cases was 0.46% higher than Thursday’s count of 36,401 infections. The country’s toll rose to 4,33,589 with 540 new deaths, while the number of active cases declined by 524 to 3,63,605.
  3. Johnson and Johnson has applied to India’s drug regulator to conduct trials of its Covid-19 vaccine among children in the 12-17 age group, a statement from the pharmaceutical company said.
  4. The Delta variant of Covid-19 may mostly be responsible for breakthrough infections in India, the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, or INSACOG, a scientific advisory group that coordinates the country’s genome sequencing work, said.
  5. The Delhi government has notified a policy to make the national Capital “self-reliant” in production of medical oxygen to tackle any possible Covid-19 crisis in future, PTI reported, citing officials. The Medical Oxygen Production Promotion Policy of Delhi 2021 was approved by the Delhi Cabinet on August 3.
  6. The Uttar Pradesh government has announced that the Covid-19 curbs on the opening of shops and other establishments on Sundays will be removed, PTI reported. The decision was taken as the Covid-19 situation was improving in the state, according to a statement by the Uttar Pradesh government. 
  7. Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta tells ANI that his government will bring a Medical Protection Bill in the monsoon session of the state Assembly. Gupta said that the Bill is aimed at providing doctors and healthcare workers a secure environment to work in.
  8. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that his government will give financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to poor households who lost family members due to the coronavirus disease, reports ANI. Families whose yearly income is less than Rs 1.8 lakh are eligible for the aid.
  9. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has extended the countrywide lockdown till August 24, saying that the full extent of the outbreak caused by the Delta variant of the coronavirus was not yet known, reported Reuters. New Zealand had recorded its first Covid-19 case since January earlier this week.
  10. Globally, Covid-19 has infected more than 20.99 crore people and led to over 44.01 lakh deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.