India Covid-19 Updates: 39,000 Infections, 491 Deaths In A Day
Daily confirmed Covid-19 infections remained below the 40,000-mark even as the threat of a third wave is imminent.
Mumbai Trains To Resume Services In Phases: Thackeray
Suburban train services in Mumbai, India's financial capital, will resume in a staggered manner starting Independence Day.
In the first phase, only those who have been fully vaccinated (14 days after taking the second dose) will be issued passes to travel from Aug. 15, Uddhav Thackery, chief minister of Maharashtra, said in his address to the state on Sunday. Around 19 lakh city residents who have received both the jabs are expected to benefit.
Decision on further easing curbs for restaurants will be taken in a few days, he said. The state's Covid task force will meet on Monday.
Covishield-Covaxin Combo Elicits Better Immune Response: Study
A combination of Covidshield followed by Covaxin was not only safe but also elicited better immune response, according to findings of an ICMR-affiliated study.
The study was based on individuals who inadvertently received Covishield as the first jab and Covaxin as the second under the national programme. The research compared the safety and immunogenicity profile of both against that of individuals receiving either Covishield or Covaxin.
Immunogenicity profile against Alpha, Beta and Delta variants, in the heterologous group was superior, along with significantly higher IgG antibody and neutralising antibody response of the participants compared to those in the homologous groups, according to the study titled, Serendipitous COVID-19 Vaccine-Mix in Uttar Pradesh.
Immunisation programme against COVID-19 in India started with two vaccines: Covishield, the local name for Astra-Oxford shot manufactured by the Serum Institute of India; and Bharat Biotech Ltd.'s Covaxin.
Daily confirmed Covid-19 infections remained below the 40,000-mark even as the threat of a third wave is imminent.
In the world's second-most populous nation, around 39,070 people tested positive for the Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry's Aug. 8 update. The count stays below 40,000 for the second straight day.
India's active case load also marginally fell to 4.06 lakh, as daily recoveries surpassed new cases in the last 24 hours.
Key Coronavirus Data
Total confirmed cases: 3,19,34,455
Total number of active cases: 4,06,822
Total patients cured/discharged/migrated: 3,10,99,771
Total deaths: 4,27,862
Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 39,070
Number of recoveries in a day: 43,910
Deaths recorded in a day: 491
Total vaccine doses administered: 50,68,10,492
Doses administered in the last 24 hours: 55,91,657
As many as 419 people died of the virus over the past 12 hours, with total toll at more than 4.27 lakh, the third worst in the world.
India has crossed the 50-crore vaccine milestone, with nearly 56 lakh doses being administered in the last 24 hours.