Here are the top coronavirus-related updates from Wednesday:

  1. Kerala on Wednesday recorded 49,771 new Covid-19 cases, a slight dip from the 55,475 infections detected on Tuesday, which was the highest single-day tally ever, PTI reported. The state’s toll climbed to 52,281 with 140 deaths being registered in the last 24 hours. According to the health department, 1,03,553 samples were tested in 24 hours and of the total 3,00,556 active cases, 3.6% are hospitalised.
  2. Karnataka on Wednesday recorded 48,905 cases, an increase of 7,505 cases from Tuesday, state Health Minister Sudhakar K said in a tweet. As many as 22,427 infections were detected in Bengaluru alone. Of the 39 deaths recorded, eight were in the state capital. The toll was lower than the 52 deaths recorded on Tuesday. Around 2,17,230 tests were conducted and the state’s positivity rate stood at 22.51%, lower than the previous day’s 26.7%. There are currently 3,57,909 active cases in the state of which 2,16,000 are in Bengaluru.
  3. New Delhi registered 7,498 cases of Covid-19 and 29 deaths on Wednesday, ANI reported. A total of 70,804 tests were conducted in the city and the test positivity rate stood at 10.59%. Of the 38,315 active cases, 1,887 patients are admitted in hospitals. The Delhi government is likely to recommend reopening schools at a meeting on Thursday, according to PTI. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said excessive caution is now harming students and that to prevent further damage to their emotional and social well-being, reopening schools was necessary. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss easing curbs in the National Capital and reopening schools.
  4. Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 35,756 Covid-19 cases and 79 deaths on Wednesday. No new cases of the Omicron were recorded, according to an update by the Mumbai zonal office of the Press Information Bureau. The Mumbai region recorded 4,830 cases and 29 deaths while Pune registered 12,986 new cases and 17 deaths. There are a total of 2,98,733 active cases in the state currently of which 92,973 are in Pune and 22,364 are in Mumbai.
  5. The body’s immune response to the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is able to neutralise the Delta variant too, a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research has found, NDTV reported on Wednesday. The study, yet to be peer-reviewed, said the findings indicate that being re-infected by Omicron is less likely, which could lead to Delta being displaced as the dominant strain.
  6. India on Wednesday registered 2,85,914 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally in the country to 4,00,85,116 since the pandemic began in January 2020. The number of new cases on Wednesday was 11.74% higher than Tuesday’s count of 2,55,874 infections. In the past 24 hours, 665 people died of Covid-19, taking the overall number of deaths to 4,91,127. The daily positivity rate increased to 16.16% on Wednesday from 15.52% on the previous day. The country has 22,23,018 active cases as on Wednesday morning, and the number declined by 13,824 in the past day. Active cases currently account for 5.55% of the country’s total caseload.
  7. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday said that they have started a clinical study to test a version of their Covid-19 vaccine specifically designed to target the Omicron variant.The study will be conducted on up to 1,420 participants from the ages of 18 years to 55 years.
  8. The United States government on Tuesday withdrew its Covid-19 vaccination mandate for large businesses after it was struck down by the Supreme Court, AFP reported. In September, US President had Joe Biden announced that vaccination would be made compulsory at large private companies.
  9. Telugu actor and former Union minister Chiranjeevi on Wednesday said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is isolating at home. In a post on Twitter, the actor said he tested positive on Tuesday night and has mild symptoms. He advised those who had been in contact with him to get tested.
  10. The findings of an investigation into alleged lockdown parties at British Prime Minister Johnson’s office will soon be out, the country’s Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The alleged gatherings were held in violation of laws and the police have also launched an investigation.