The global coronavirus caseload has topped 239.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 4.88 million and vaccinations soared to over 6.57 billion, while the United Kingdom recorded another 45,066 coronavirus cases.
According to Johns Hopkins University, as of Friday morning, the current global caseload, death toll and the total number of vaccine doses administered stood at 239,573,207, 4,881,197 and 6,575,970,837, respectively.
The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 44,766,965 and 721,562, according to the CSSE. In terms of infections, India follows in second place with 34,020,730 cases.
India logs 16,862 new Covid cases, 379 deaths
In the last 24 hours, India reported total 16,862 fresh Covid-19 cases and 379 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday. The new fatalities increased the overall death toll to 4,51,814, according to the data shared by the Ministry.
The recovery of 19,391 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally to 3,33,82,100. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.07 per cent, currently at its highest peak since March 2020.
The active caseload is presently 2,03,678, which is the lowest in 216 days. Active cases presently constitute 0.60 per cent of the country's total positive cases, lowest since March 2020.
While the testing capacity has been enhanced across the country, the weekly positive at 1.42 per cent has remained less than 3 per cent for the last 112 days now. The daily positivity rate stands at 1.43 per cent. The daily positivity rate has remained below 3 per cent for last 46 days and below 5 per cent for 129 consecutive days now.
With the administration of 30,26,483 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's inoculation coverage now stands at 97,14,38,553 as per provisional reports till 7 a.m. on Friday.
More than 100 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states/UTs so far via the Centre and through direct state procurement category. More than 10.53 crore balance and unutilised doses are still available to be administered, the Health Ministry said.
UK records another 45,066 coronavirus cases
Another 45,066 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 8,317,439, according to official figures released on Thursday.
It's the highest daily number of coronavirus cases since mid-July, according to the official data, Xinhua news agency reported.
The country also recorded another 157 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 138,237. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
There are currently 7,024 patients in hospital with Covid-19. The data came as a study has found coronavirus infections among children increased in England last month after schools reopened.
According to the REACT-1 study led by Imperial College London, the epidemic was estimated to be growing among those under 17, with coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, estimated at 1.18.
The R number indicates the average number of people each Covid-positive person goes on to infect. An R number above one means the coronavirus outbreak is growing exponentially while the number below one means the case rate is shrinking.
Singapore reports 2,932 new Covid cases
Singapore reported 2,932 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the total tally in the country to 138,327, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release.
Of the new cases, 2,412 were in the community, 517 were in migrant worker dormitories, and three were imported cases.
A total of 1,511 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 310 of serious illnesses requiring oxygen supplementation, and 46 in critical condition in intensive care units, said the MOH, Xinhua news agency reported.
Besides, 15 more cases have passed away from complications due to Covid-19 infection. They include a 23 year-old individual who had been partially vaccinated against Covid-19, and a 34 year-old individual who was unvaccinated.
The other 13 individuals who passed away were aged between 60 and 89 years. As of Wednesday, 84 per cent of the local population have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccines, and 85 per cent have received at least one dose.
Africa's Covid cases surpass 8.4 million
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 8,409,330 cases as of Thursday afternoon, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 214,876. Some 7,790,169 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far, Xinhua news agency reported.
South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases in the continent, according to the agency.
In terms of the caseloads, southern Africa is the most affected region, followed by the northern and eastern parts of the continent, while central Africa is the least affected region in the continent, according to the Africa CDC.
Other Countries
The other worst countries with over 3 million cases are Brazil (21,612,237), the UK (8,356,596), Russia (7,773,388), Turkey (7,570,902), France (7,174,580), Iran (5,754,047), Argentina (5,270,003), Spain (4,980,206), Colombia (4,977,043), Italy (4,709,753), Germany (4,355,169), Indonesia (4,232,099) and Mexico (3,738,749), the CSSE figures showed.
Nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (602,099), India (451,435), Mexico (283,193), Russia (216,403), Peru (199,746), Indonesia (142,848), the UK (138,647), Italy (131,461), Colombia (126,759), Iran (123,498), France (118,111) and Argentina (115,633).
