India on Thursday morning recorded 22,431 new coronavirus cases, pushing the infection tally to 3,38,94,312 since the pandemic first broke out in January last year. Thursday’s infection count is 19.1% higher than Wednesday’s tally of 18,833.

The toll climbed by 318 to 4,49,856. The number of active cases dropped to 2,44,198 and the recoveries tally increased 3,32,00,258.

India has so far administered 92,63,68,608 vaccine doses. Of these, 43,09,525 shots were administered on Wednesday alone.

(Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

State updates

  • Bharatiya Janata Party MP Tejasvi Surya said that he has asked the Bengaluru administration to reconsider their coronavirus guidelines on Durga Puja celebrations in the city after several people questioned the restrictions on the festival. In a tweet, he called the curbs “discriminatory, arbitrary and illogical”.
  • The West Bengal government has issued guidelines for conducting Durga Puja festivities amid the Covid-19 pandemic, reported News18. The guidelines include open pandals (temporary shed where the idols of deities are installed during the festival) with separate points for entry and exit, compulsory use of masks and ban on cultural programmes near the pandals.
  • All religious places in Maharashtra reopened on Thursday with coronavirus restrictions in place, reported The Indian Express. The places have been asked to allow visitors through slot bookings and told not to hold large gatherings. 

Global updates

  • Russia on Wednesday recorded 929 new Covid-19 deaths, the country’s highest single-day toll, reported Reuters. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova had said earlier this week that death rates were high among unvaccinated Russians.
  • So far, 636.76 crore people have been vaccinated across the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus has infected over 23.64 crore people and caused more than 48.27 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019.