India now has the fifth-highest death toll in the world, surpassing Italy with 35,132 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracker. The seven-day rolling average for deaths in India is now 735, next only to the U.S. (1,075) and Brazil (1,052).

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the latest updates:

Won’t profit from COVID-19 vaccine in pandemic, says AstraZeneca

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca repeated its promise not to profit from a COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic as it reported it was on track with late-stage trials for the treatment.

The cost of making the vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University, is expected to be offset by funding from the governments.

AstraZeneca has struck a number of deals around the world to supply the experimental COVID-19 vaccine, which has shown promise in early testing.

Over 8.78 lakh Indians have returned from abroad under Vande Bharat Mission: MEA

Over 8.78 lakh Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the “Vande Bharat” evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Under the Phase 4 of the Vande Bharat Mission, a total of 1,083 flights have been scheduled so far, including 849 international flights and 234 feeder flights, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.

“These flights are operated by the Air India Group, IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir from 29 countries to 31 airports in India,” he said.

Jharkhand extends lockdown restrictions outside containment zones till Aug 31

The Jharkhand government has extended the lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19 outside the containment zones till August 31.

An official notification also issued directions to departments concerned for strict implementation of guidelines and State directives on COVID-19.

”... Hereby orders extension of lockdown-related restrictions currently in place in the State of Jharkhand outside the containment zone(s) up to 31.08.2020 due to COVID-19,” the notification issued by Chief Secretary Sukhdev Singh said.

“All economic activities permitted prior to this order shall remain permitted,” it said. - PTI

Ban on passenger flights to Kolkata from 6 cities extended till Aug 15

The ban on passenger flights to Kolkata from six cities — all COVID-19 hotspots — has been extended till August 15 amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in the State, airport authorities sources here said on Thursday.

“The restriction on arriving flights to #KolkataAirport from 6 cities viz Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Nagpur & Ahmedabad has been extended up to August 15 2020,” the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport tweeted. - PTI

India sees single-day spike of over 55,000 cases

India has registered a new record one-day spike of 55,078 cases in the past 24 hours, pushing India’s COVID-19 tally to 16,38,870, according to the daily Union Health Ministry bulletin issued on Friday.

The total death toll is now 35,747, of which 779 are new fatalities.

As per the Centre's count, the country's active COVID-19 case count stand at 5,45,318, with 10,57,805 people having recovered so far.

Understanding serological surveys

As the India-wide COVID-19 case count increases at an alarming pace, experts say that the peak in infections is nowhere on the horizon. This inference was made following the analysis of sero-surveys conducted in different cities of India. But what is a sero-survey? Watch our video explainer for details.

Section 144 imposed in Ghaziabad ahead of festival season

Ahead of upcoming festivities, prohibitory measures under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed in Ghaziabad district with the restrictions set to be in effect till August 31, said district information officer Rakesh Chauhan.

The prohibitory measures have been taken by District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey keeping in view Eid, Raksha Bandhan, Krishna Janmashtami festivals along with Independence Day to check the spread of coronavirus. No person will be allowed to carry licensed weapons.

Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibits assembly of more than four people in an area. - PTI

First dog that tested positive for COVID-19 dies in New York

A German shepherd in New York that had the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a dog in the US has died.

Robert and Allison Mahoney of Staten Island told National Geographic that their 7-year-old shepherd, Buddy, developed breathing problems in mid-April after Robert had been sick with the coronavirus for several weeks. A veterinarian tested Buddy in May and found him positive for the virus.

It’s unknown if the coronavirus played a role in his death. Blood tests indicated Buddy likely had lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, veterinarians told the family.

Andhra Pradesh sees biggest spike in COVID cases

The State has once again witnessed the biggest single-day spikes of COVID cases and deaths.

With 10,167 new COVID cases detected in the past 24 hours, the tally mounted to 1,30,557. The death toll increased to 1,281, including the 68 deaths reported in the past day. The total cases doubled in the last eight days as 65,844 cases were

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio goes into home quarantine

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio.  

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has quarantined himself at his home after a few staffers of his residential complex have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Thursday.

The residential complex is being sanitised and all the standard operating procedures are being followed, they said.

Ex-Minister Koppana Mohana Rao dies of COVID-19

Former Minister and senior YSR Congress Party leader Koppana Mohana Rao (75) died of COVID-19 late Wednesday night. A native of Mallam village in Pithapuram mandal, he is survived by a daughter and a son. Mohana Rao, who was elected from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency in East Godavari district twice, had served as the Forest Minister.

Mohana Rao was declared brought dead when he was taken to the Government General Hospital in Kakinada from another hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19, said East Godavari District Medical and Health Officer M. Mallik.