India reported 10,229 new coronavirus cases on Monday, taking the overall tally of infections to 3,44,47,536 since the pandemic began in January last year. The number of new cases was 9.24% lower than Sunday’s count of 11,271.

The country’s toll rose by 125 to 4,63,655. The active caseload stood at 1,34,096 – the lowest in nearly 17 months, the health ministry said. As many as 3,38,49,785 have recovered from the disease so far.

India has so far administered 112.34 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses. On Sunday, 30,20,119 doses were administered to beneficiaries.

State updates

  • The Sabarimala temple in Kerala will reopen on Monday evening for a two-month-long festival, reported the Hindustan Times. People can offer prayers at the hilltop shrine dedicated to deity Ayyappa from Tuesday.
  • Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George said that the state’s Covid-19 strategy has always been to “delay the peak”, reported The Indian Express. She pointed out that despite the cases, the state’s fatality rate is one of the lowest in the country.
  • In Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, samples of Covid-19 patients sent for genome sequencing to a laboratory in Pune in Maharashtra in August and September were found to be infected with both Delta and Kappa variants, PTI reported, citing an official.

Global updates

  • About two million, or 20 lakh, people who have not been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease in Austria have been placed under lockdown as the country faces a surge in cases, reported the BCC. The country has the highest seven-day infection rate in Europe with over 800 cases per 1 lakh people this week.
  • Egypt announced that it will start clinical trials for a domestically-made coronavirus vaccine, reported AP. The country’s acting health minister, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, said the trials of the vaccine, “COVI VAX”, will start with tens, then hundreds, and will eventually include thousands of people.
  • The coronavirus has infected over 25.33 crore people across the world and caused more than 51 lakh deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.