India on Friday morning recorded 21,257 new coronavirus cases, pushing the infection country in the country to 3,39,15,569 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. Friday’s infection count is 5.23% fewer than Thursday’s tally of 22,431.

The toll climbed to 4,50,127 after 271 people died in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases fell to 2,40,221 and the recovery tally rose to 3,32,25,221.

India has so far administered 93,17,17,191 vaccine doses. Of these, 50,17,753 were administered on Thursday alone.

(Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

State updates

  • Indians, who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, travelling to the United Kingdom will not have to undergo quarantine from Monday. India and the UK had been locked in a row over quarantine rules in Britain. The UK had earlier said that Indians who are fully vaccinated will need to quarantine upon arrival to Britain. 
  • A four-member central government team evaluated the coronavirus situation in Mizoram amid an increase in Covid-19 infections in the state, reported NDTV. Mizoram’s positivity rate stood at 15.36%.
  • The government has begun training vaccinators around the country for administering the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Zydus Cadila, reported the Hindustan Times. NITI Aayog member VK Paul said the exercise in important as the vaccine shot is not given through conventional syringes but through an applicator that is being used in the country for the first time.

Global updates

  • The World Health Organization said that Covid-19 aid it sent to North Korea have arrived but were being held in quarantine, reported Reuters. The aid in quarantine includes medicines and emergency health, said Edwin Salvador, the WHO representative to North Korea.
  • So far, 639.47 crore people have been vaccinated across the world, according to Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus has infected over 23.67 crore people and caused more than 48.34 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019.