Here are the top updates from Sunday:

  1. The Centre shared a set of parameters with all states and Union Territories to identify fake Covid-19 vaccines, PTI reported. The development after the World Health Organization said that its surveillance and monitoring system had identified fake Covishield vials in Southeast Asia and Africa. “It was requested that the vaccines need to be carefully authenticated before use,” the health ministry said in a letter to states. The ministry gave details about the label, colour and other details used by companies manufacturing Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V – the three vaccines currently being administered to beneficiaries in India.
  2. India recorded 42,766 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the cumulative tally of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic in January last year to 3,29,88,673. The new cases were 0.34% higher than Saturday’s count of 42,618 infections. The toll in the country rose to 4,40,533 as 308 deaths were recorded in last day. The number of active cases stood at 4,10,048.
  3. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray criticised Opposition leaders in the state for demanding the reopening of religious places, Mint reported. He said that the government did not want to open religious establishments and close them again if the situation worsened. Thackeray also pointed out that that Covid-19 cases had risen in the state during the festival season last year.
  4. Kerala reported 26,701 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours with a positivity rate of 17.17%. With 74 deaths, the toll rose to 21,496. Among the 14 districts of the state, Kozhikode recorded the highest number of infections.
  5. The Jammu and Kashmir administration allowed reopening of higher educational institutions and schools for students of Classes 10 and 12, ANI reported. 
  6. Delhi recorded 30 new coronavirus cases, while no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, according to PTI. However, the chief of Congress’ Delhi unit, Chaudhary Anil Kumar, said that the Arvind Kejriwal-led government’s decision to reopen schools in the city was a premature one.
  7. Ravi Shastri, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, tested positive for the coronavirus. The team’s bowling coach Bharat Arun, fielding coach R Sridhar and physiotherapist Nitin Patel have also been isolated as a precautionary measure. The team is currently playing a five test match series in England.
  8. British Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that the country’s government was yet to decide on whether healthy children aged 12 to 15 years should be vaccinated against Covid-19, Reuters reported.
  9. Australia reported 1,684 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours. However, authorities in the country were looking to lift lockdowns ahead of Christmas in the hope of normalising the situation, Reuters reported.
  10. Covid-19 has infected more than 22.04 crore people and led to over 45.64 lakh deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.