1. India on Wednesday reported 60,963 cases in 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 23,29,639. The toll rose by 834 to 46,091. The recovery rate has crossed 70% and the active cases stood at 27.64%, the Union health ministry said. The case fatality rate has declined to 1.98%.
  2. Maharashtra recorded 12,712 new coronavirus cases in the evening, taking its total to 5,48,313. The toll jumped to 18,650 after 344 deaths. The state also recorded its highest single-day recoveries with 13,408 patients being discharged today. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu reported 5,871 new coronavirus cases and 119 deaths. With this, the state’s tally rose to 3,14,520 and the toll stood at 5,278. Delhi saw an increase of 1,113 new coronavirus cases, which took the tally to 1,48,504. The toll in the city stood at 4,153 after 14 fatalities.
  3. Union minister Shripad Naik said he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is asymptomatic. Naik, who heads the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, or AYUSH, asked all those who had come in contact with him over the past few days to get tested for the infection.
  4. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said a low coronavirus infection rate could indicate that the worst was over for the state. “The Covid-19 positivity rate in the state has remained under 5% despite many tests being conducted,” Sarma said. “So we are either going the right way as far as peaking of the pandemic is concerned or the worst is behind us.”
  5. The Chennai Police issued a circular banning public gatherings, demonstrations, human chains, meetings for 15 days from August 12 to contain the coronavirus spread in the city.
  6. Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, said on Tuesday that the safety of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine needs to be ensured before it can be released for public use. Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization expressed concern that institutes in the region were planning to manufacture and distribute the vaccine. The organisation’s deputy director Jarbas Barbosa said that any vaccine should be carefully evaluated to ensure the product is safe and effective.
  7. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah tested negative for the coronavirus on Wednesday, after spending eight days at a hospital in Bengaluru. He will be discharged on Thursday.
  8. Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee continues to remain in a critical condition and on ventilator. “Presently he is hemodynamically stable and on a ventilator,” a statement from the Army Research and Referral Hospital said.
  9. A study released by non-governmental organisation Population Foundation of India to assess the impact of the coronavirus-induced lockdown revealed that one in every four adolescents in Uttar Pradesh has experienced depression and six of 10 students felt anxious over their inability to find jobs.
  10. Globally, coronavirus has infected more than 2.02 crore people, according to the Johns Hopkins University. The worldwide toll has risen to 7,41,423. More than 1.25 crore people have recovered.