India reported over 38,000 new cases of Covid-19 as the country braced itself for a third wave of the pandemic.
Around 38,079 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry's update as of 8 a.m on July 18. Recoveries during the same period were higher at nearly 44,000 taking the active caseload to 4.24 lakh.
The country is almost certainly expected to see another spurt in Covid cases in the coming months. The Indian Council of Medical Research has said that a third wave may hit the country by August-end. However, it is expected to be less severe than the second wave as vaccination rates in the country slowly trudge up.
Some states like Maharashtra and Kerala are already seeing a rise in cases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a meeting with chief ministers on Friday, said effective steps were urgently needed to curb the outbreak from flaring up again.
Key Data
Total confirmed cases: 3,10,64,908
Total number of active cases: 4,24,025
Total patients cured/discharged/migrated: 3,02,27,792
Total deaths: 4,13,091
Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 38,079
Number of recoveries in a day: 43,916
Deaths recorded in a day: 560
Total vaccination shots administered: 39,96,95,879
U.S. Cases Triple; Biden Says Misinformation Kills
The U.S. is headed for its worst day of new infections since mid-April, almost tripling from the day before.
“The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated,” President Joe Biden said, with cases swelling in 49 U.S. states and hospitalizations on the rise. He said that social media networks are “killing people” by allowing the spread of misinformation about vaccines. The governor of Louisiana, one of the least-vaccinated states, said it was time to “run, not walk” to get a shot.
Biden signaled progress toward lifting a ban on travel from Europe, raising hopes for a reopening of the almost $40 billion North Atlantic air corridor 16 months after the pandemic grounded flights.
Key Developments:
Global Tracker: Cases top 189.3 million; deaths pass 4.06 million
Vaccine Tracker: More than 3.57 billion doses administered
Covid’s daily U.S. death toll tops guns, cars and flu combined
MRNA vaccine access carves up world into haves and have-nots
U.S. cities awash in rescue cash seek to use it to pay down debts
A tour of the City of London says reopening will be no Big Bang
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