Corona Updates You Must Track: India Tally Climbs to 24.61 Lakh Cases, Early Trial Results Of COVAXIN Show It Is Safe

India cases and toll: On Friday morning, India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 24,61,190 with 6,61,595 active cases, 17,51,555 recoveries and 48,040 fatalities, as per the data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The country added 64,553 cases of coronavirus and 1,007 deaths in the last 24 hours. India conducted more than 8 lakh tests for COVID-19 for a second day in a row. On Thursday, 8,48,728 tests were conducted across the country.

Reception for Russia’s COVID vaccine: Although Russia formally launched the world’s first vaccine for COVID-19, Sputnik-V, on 12 August, the World Health Organization says it is not among the vaccines it considers in the advanced stages of testing. The vaccine has been approved for public use despite the final phase of human trials pending.

“We don’t have sufficient information at this point to make a judgment... We’re currently in conversation with Russia to get additional information to understand the status of that product, the trials that have been undertaken and then what the next steps might be, a PTI report quoted Dr Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO’s director-general, as saying.

How are Indian corona vaccines progressing: The preliminary results of the Phase-1 clinical trials of the experimental vaccine for COVID-19, COVAXIN, have shown that the vaccine is safe, The Economic Times reported. The vaccine is developed jointly by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). “The vaccine is safe. We have not observed any adverse events in any of the volunteers at our site,” the report quoted the principal investigator at PGI, Rohtak as saying.

COVID-19 tracker for 14 August. Source: Twitter/@COVIDNewsByMIB

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh show relentless surge: Both the states have been showing a relentless surge in COVID-19 daily cases, with Maharashtra, particularly, witnessing an upward trend since March. The western state on Thursday recorded 11,813 cases of coronavirus and 413 deaths. With this, the state’s coronavirus tally has climbed to 5,60,126, which includes 1,50,105 active cases, 3,90,958 recoveries and 19,063 deaths.

In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the COVID-19 tally reached 2,64,142 on Friday morning. The state recorded 9,996 fresh cases of coronavirus and 82 deaths in the last 24 hours. Andhra Pradesh currently has 90,780 active cases while 1,70,984 have recovered from the illness and 2,378 succumbed to it.

Global corona update: The global coronavirus tally rose to 2,10,68,933 on Friday morning with 1,39,20,144 recoveries and 7,57,446 deaths, according to Worldometer. Of the 63,91,343 currently infected patients, 64,499 are in critical condition. The US with 54,15,666 cases, which includes 170,415 deaths, is the worst-hit country by the virus.

Among other countries, Peru is emerging as a COVID-19 hotspot with 5,07,996 cases and 25,648  deaths. The South American country has reported 15,382 cases and 777 COVID-19 deaths per million population. Another South American country, Chile, too is witnessing a steady surge in coronavirus cases. The country’s coronavirus caseload has reached 3,80,034, including 10,299 deaths. Chile is now among the 10 worst-affected countries by the coronavirus pandemic.