Here are the top updates from Friday:

  1. The risk of contracting the coronavirus disease is substantially reduced for up to 10 months following the first infection in an individual, PTI reported, citing a study in medical journal Lancet. Meanwhile, a separate study published in Lancet showed that the Pfizer vaccine generates nearly six times lesser antibodies against the delta variant of the virus, first detected in India, as compared to the original strain.
  2. India reported 1,32,364 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 2,713. The country’s tally of infections now stands at 2,85,74,350 since the outbreak in January 2020, while the toll has reached 3,40,702.
  3. The delta variant of coronavirus, first identified in India, was responsible for the devastating second wave of the pandemic in the country, a study by scientists of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia, or INSACOG, and the National Centre for Disease Control, has found. The study also found that the Delta variant is 50% more contagious than the Alpha strain.
  4. All India Institute of Medical Sciences chief Randeep Guleria has said that the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer is expected to be available soon in India for adults, as well as children. He said that the matter of Pfizer’s demand for indemnity “also seems to be resolved”.
  5. The Delhi government has formed a four-member panel to look into deaths due to oxygen shortage during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
  6. Niti Aayog (Health) member VK Paul said that the vaccines developed by Bharat Biotech and Zydus are being tested on children in India, reported ANI. He said that the country would need around 25 crore doses to inoculate children.
  7. The Punjab government withdrew its order to supply coronavirus vaccines to private hospitals, amid a controversy over the Opposition’s accusations that it was profiting off the sale of the shots.
  8. National Capital Delhi reported 523 new cases and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra reported 14,152 cases, including 973 infections in Capital Mumbai. Among other states high caseloads, Karnataka logged 16,068 cases, Tamil Nadu recorded 22,651 cases, while the tally went up 10,413 in Andhra Pradesh.
  9. The United Kingdom approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in children in the 12-15 age group. So far, the vaccine was used only on those aged 16 and above. The vaccine has already been approved for use among adolescents in the United States and the European Union.
  10. Covid-19 has now infected over 17.22 crore people and killed over 37.03 lakh in the world since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.