Delhi on Thursday reported 5,739 new coronavirus cases, a record one-day increase in infections during the pandemic. The city now has total 3,75,753 cases. This was the second consecutive day when the national Capital reported more than 5,000 cases.

Biotechnology company Moderna said it is preparing to launch an experimental Covid-19 vaccine and has already received $1.1 billion, or over Rs 8,000 crore, in deposits for supply. The company is one of the frontrunners in developing a vaccine for the coronavirus.

India’s coronavirus tally rose to 80,40,203 on Thursday as it recorded 49,881 new cases in 24 hours. The country’s toll went up by 517 to 1,20,527. India’s active cases stood at 6,03,687, while the number of recoveries reached 73,15,989.

The coronavirus has infected more than 4.4 crore people globally and killed 11,73,270, according to the Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 3 crore people have recovered from the infection. France announced a second lockdown to battle a surge in coronavirus cases.

The national helpline number for the coronavirus is 011-23978046, and a toll-free number 1075.

These are the helpline numbers for states and the Union Territories.

Here are the day’s top updates:

10.45 pm: Jharkhand reports 395 new coronavirus cases, 461 recoveries and three deaths today. Total number of cases in the state now stands at 1,00,964 and the toll rises to 883.

9.30 pm: Sri Lanka has cancelled next week’s Parliament sessions following a rise in coronavirus cases in capital Colombo and increased risk of community-level transmission, PTI reports.

8.40 pm: Delhi reports 5,739 new coronavirus cases and 27 deaths today, according to ANI. This is the second consecutive day when the city is reporting over 5,000 new cases and its highest so far.

The case tally has risen to 3,75,753, including 3,38,378 recoveries. Meanwhile, the toll stands at 6,423 deaths, according to the Delhi government’s bulletin.

8.08 pm: Biotechnology company Moderna says it was preparing to launch an experimental Covid-19 vaccine and has already received $1.1 billion, or over Rs 8,000 crore, in deposits for supply, according to Reuters.

8.01 pm: The Centre says the cumulative positivity rate of the coronavirus in the country was 7.54% and it was falling progressively, according to ANI. “India continues to maintain the declining trend of active cases,” it says. “Active cases stand at 6,03,687 today. It comprises only 7.51% of the total positive cases of the country.”

7.59 pm: Uttarakhand reports 305 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the state to 61,566, reports ANI. The total number of active cases stands at 3,545 and that of recoveries is 56,529.

7.53 pm: The Maharashtra government extends the ongoing lockdown in the state till November 30, reports the Hindustan Times. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-affected state by Covid-19 in the country with 1,26,603 active cases.

7.47 pm: The number of coronavirus cases in Jammu and Kashmir rises by 551 to 93,764, reports ANI. The tally includes 6,928 active cases, 85,370 recoveries and 1,466 deaths.

7.44 pm: Maharashtra reports 5,902 new Covid-19 cases, pushing the tally in the state to 16,66,668, reports ANI. The toll stands at 43,710 and the active cases tally is 1,27,603.

7.42 pm: Gujarat reports 987 new Covid-19 cases, four deaths and 1,083 recoveries, according to ANI. The state’s tally stands at 1,71,040, with 1,54,078 recoveries and 3,708 deaths. Total active cases in the state are 13,254.

7.40 pm: The coronavirus cases in Punjab rises to 1,32,727 with the state reporting 468 new infections, reports ANI. The cases tally includes 1,24,293 discharges, 4,266 active cases & 4,168 deaths.

7.36 pm: Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava says India was proposing to expand cooperation, including for clinical trials and capacity building for Covid-19 vaccine development production and delivery, to other countries, according to ANI. He adds that the proposal would depend on trails for the vaccine in India.

6.29 pm: Rajasthan reports 1,790 new Covid-19 cases, taking the tally in the state to 1,93,419, according to ANI. The toll is 1,888 with 11 fresh fatalities and the active cases tally stands at 15,554.

6.26 pm: All India Institute of Medical Sciences Raipur says a Covid-19 positive 28-year-old woman gave birth to three children, reports ANI. The institute adds the children were found to be Covid-19 negative.

6.23 pm: Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says India has restored all visas other than for foreign tourists, adding that the next logical step would be to open up visas for them also but after examining the coronavirus situation in the country, reports ANI.

5.13 pm: Union Health Secretary reviews the status of response measures to Covid-19 in West Bengal, Delhi and Kerala and advises the states and union territories to gear up testing, tracking and treatment strategy during the festive season, reports ANI.

5.05 pm: Maharashtra Excise and Labour Minister Dilip Walse-Patil says he has tested positive for coronavirus and is undergoing treatment for the infection. The minister urges people who had come in contact with him to get themselves tested as a precaution.

4.15 pm: The Andhra Pradesh government allows schools and colleges in the state to reopen from November 2, reports Mint. The Chief Minister’s Office says classes for 9, 10, 11, and 12 will begin from November 2, and students from classes 6, 7, and 8 may get back to school from November 23.

“Classes will be held for half a day and on alternate days only,” the office says.

3 pm: United Kingdom Housing Minister Robert Jenrick says the government will do anything to avoid a second countrywide lockdown and believes it can control the virus with tough local measures, reports Reuters.

2.52 pm: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office says that schools and colleges will open in the state from November 2 for classes 9, 10, 11 and 12, according to ANI. Classes for 6,7 and 8 will resume from November 23. The CMO says classes will be held for half day and on alternate days only.

2.44 pm: The coronavirus cases in Odisha rises to 2,87,099 with the state reporting 1,617 new infections, reports ANI. There are 2,70,130 recoveries and 15,619 active cases in the state. The toll stands at 1,297.

2.42 pm: The Maharashtra Police say 95 of its personnel tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the tally in the force to 26,395, which includes, 517 active cases, 24,595 recoveries and 283 deaths, according to ANI.

2.36 pm: India and the United Kingdom have joined hands to boost bilateral cooperation on combating the coronavirus pandemic as part of the 10th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue, reports PTI. The initiative will support collaborative research focused on understanding the severity of Covid-19 in South Asian populations in India.

1.56 pm: Mizoram’s coronavirus tally rises to 2,656 on Thursday as 49 more people test positive for the infection, PTI reports. Twenty of the new cases are among school students.

1.50 pm: The Supreme Court asks the Centre to respond to a petition alleging that remdesivir and favipiravir medicines are being used for coronavirus treatment without approval, PTI reports.

The petitioner presented to the court the World Health Organization’s report of October 15 and said that these medicines were not officially designated to treat the coronavirus.

12.42 pm: A study by researchers at Imperial College shows that England’s coronavirus infections are doubling every nine days, Reuters reports.

12.39 pm: Odisha’s coronavirus tally rises to 2,87,099 on Thursday as the state records 1,617 new cases in the last day, PTI reports. The state’s tally rises by 13 to 1,297.

12.27 pm: The West Bengal government asks all state-run and private medical establishments for details of frontline health workers who will be vaccinated against the coronavirus on priority, PTI reports.

12.21 pm: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain says it is too early conclude that the Capital is experiencing the third wave of coronavirus infections but it might be possible, ANI reports. “We must wait for another week in order to definitively say that, but it possible that we’re already in that phase,” he adds.

Jain’s remark comes a day after Delhi registered its biggest one day-rise of 5,673 cases, which took the Capital’s tally to 3,70,014. Delhi’s toll rose by 40 to 6,396.

10.25 am: Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi is planning clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, Reuters reports. The vaccine may be the first domestically-produced inoculation to reach the country’s markets.

10.21 am: Health workers in Karnataka will have to show their Aadhar cards to get the vaccine against the coronavirus as the government is planning a biometric delivery system, The Times of India reports.

10.19 am: Telangana reported 1,504 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, which took its tally to 2,35,656. The state’s toll rose by five to 1,324.

10.13 am: A study by ICMR finds that the Bacillus CalmetteGuérin or BCG vaccination can help the elderly fight the coronavirus. “BCG vaccination was associated with enhanced innate and adaptive memory cell subsets, as well as total antibody levels in elderly individuals, suggesting its potential utility in SARS-CoV2 infection, which causes Covid-19, by enhancing heterologous immunity,” the study concludes.

10.09 am: The Indian Council of Medical Research’s testing update shows that over 10.75 lakh tests were done on Wednesday.

9.19 am: India’s coronavirus tally rises to 80,40,203 as it recorded 49,881 new cases in 24 hours. The country’s toll goes up by 517 to 1,20,527. India’s active cases stood at 6,03,687, while the number of recoveries reached 73,15,989.

8.37 am: Serum Institute of India’s Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla on Wednesday said that the Oxford and AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine, which his company is producing, may be ready by December. He told NDTV that the company may also apply for emergency use licence.

“If we don’t go for an emergency licence, our trials should be over by December and then we can maybe we can launch in India in January subject to the UK trial also being completed which it’s on the verge on being completed,” he told the news channel.

Poonawalla added: “If the UK in the next two weeks were to unblind their study and share the data and be confident that it’s safe, then we can, after two-three weeks, apply to the Indian regulator to look at a possible emergency licence if that’s what the government of India wants.”

8.32 am: France announces a second lockdown to battle a surge in coronavirus cases, Reuters reports. The restrictions will come into force on Friday and last till December 1.

8.30 am: A serological survey conducted by the Government Medical College in Srinagar has found that over 40% of the residents have developed antibodies for the coronavirus, The Indian Express reports. The survey in June had showed that only 3.8% of the population had antibodies.

According to the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, serology tests are “those that look for antibodies in blood”. “If antibodies are found, that means there has been a previous infection,” it says. “However, there is a chance a positive result means that you have antibodies from an infection with a virus from the same family of viruses (called coronaviruses), such as the one that causes the common cold.”

8.24 am: Here are the top updates from Wednesday:

  1. India’s coronavirus tally rose to 79,90,322 as it recorded 43,893 new cases in 24 hours. The country’s toll rose by 508 to 1,20,010. India’s active cases stood at 6,10,803, while the number of recoveries reached 72,59,509.
  2. Delhi recorded 5,673 new coronavirus cases – its highest single-day jump so far – taking the city’s tally to 3,70,014. The toll rose to 6,396 with 40 more fatalities reported in 24 hours.
  3. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation extended the suspension of scheduled international flights till November 30 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.
  4. Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia announced that all government and private schools in the Capital will remain shut until further orders, in view of rising number of coronavirus cases.
  5. Union minister Smriti Irani tested positive for the coronavirus. She requested all the people who came into contact with her to get tested.