1.41 pm: “Students can register online, those students wanting to attend classes by coming to colleges should have consent from their parents,” Ashwath adds. “Depending on the strength- how the classes have to be held, in how many batches- everything will be decided along with all the necessary safety SOP.”

1.18 pm: The Karnataka government decides to open colleges from November 17, PTI reports, quoting Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath.

1.11 pm: Puducherry’s reports 158 new cases on Friday, which take its tally to 33,986, according to PTI. The Union territory’s toll rises by two to 584.

1.09 pm: Odisha’s coronavirus count rises to 2,77,887 on Friday, as it reports 1,793 new cases. The state’s toll rises by 18 to 1,214.

1.07 pm: India’s active cases fall below 7 lakh after two months, the government says.

11.56 am: Olivier De Schutte, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says 150 million (15 crore) to 175 million (17.5 crore) more people across the world will plunge into extreme poverty due to the coronavirus crisis, PTI reports.

11.52 am: Delhi’s 3,882 new infections on Thursday were its highest daily count since September 19, Hindustan Times reports.

11.51 am: India’s coronavirus tests cross 10 crore.

11.47 am: Germany is preparing to start coronavirus vaccinations before the end of the year, Reuters reports. It is planning to create 60 special vaccination storage centres.

11.40 am: A project in the United Kingdom shows that traces of the coronavirus can be detected in sewage, which can help health officials identify the warning signs of local outbreaks, Reuters reports.

11.36 am: Peru rejects a coronavirus vaccine purchase deal with AstraZeneca, citing insufficient data from studies and minimal amount of inoculation, Reuters reports.

9.56 am: Credit Suisse Group AG’s 2020 Global Wealth Report released on Thursday reveals that household wealth largely held up and even increased in China and India amid the coronavirus crisis, reports Bloomberg.

“Given the damage inflicted by Covid-19 on the global economy, it seems remarkable that household wealth has emerged relatively unscathed,” says economist Anthony Shorrocks, one of the report’s authors.

9.52 am: France Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced that an overnight curfew will be extended to dozens more areas to slow the spread of coronavirus, reports BBC. “The coming weeks will be hard and the number of deaths will continue to rise,” Castex told a press conference on Thursday. “If we fail to stop the pandemic, we will be facing a dire situation and we will have to mull much tougher measures.”

9.50 am: Russia’s Sputnik-V coronavirus vaccine will be tested in India on 100 volunteers, says the Drugs Controller General of India, according to ANI.

Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF, and Dr Reddy’s had agreed to collaborate on the clinical trials and distribution of the Sputnik V vaccine in India in September. Under the partnership, Dr Reddy’s will conduct the clinical trials, and subject to regulatory approval, distribute the finished vaccine in India. RDIF, which is marketing the Sputnik V, will supply 100 million doses to Dr Reddy’s.

9.47 am: Congress leader P Chidambaram says the Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das, the Securities and Exchange Board of India chief and Department of Economic Affairs secretary have tried to “talk up” the economy. Das had said India is “at the doorstep of the revival process” from the coronavirus pandemic.

Chidambaram takes a swipe at them, saying he wishes the economy was a “circus lion” that would respond to the stick of the ringmaster. “The three distinguished men should tell the FM, in unison, that the vast majority of the people do not have the money or the inclination to buy goods and services,” he adds.

9.45 am: Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, says air pollution added with coronavirus infection and lung complications can possibly lead to serious consequences, reports ANI.

“Swine flu also shows a spike during winter months and it is likely that Covid-19 would also do the same,” Guleria adds. “Coming to air pollution, there is data that shows air pollution may also lead to a higher prevalence of Covid-19. This is based on the study being done in the last few months in Italy and China.”

9.26 am: India records 54,366 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking its tally to 77,61,312. The toll from the pandemic stands at 1,17,306 with 7690 deaths. There are 6,95,509 active cases, 69,48,497 recoveries, and the recovery rate stood at 89.20%.

9.22 am: Covaxin, the coronavirus vaccine being developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, has been cleared for the third phase of clinical trials, NDTV reports. The Hyderabad-based vaccine maker had applied for permission to the Drugs Controller General of India on October 2.

9.20 am: United States President Donald Trump claimed his government will release a vaccine against the coronavirus “within weeks”.

“We have a vaccine that’s coming, it’s ready, it’s going to be announced within weeks,” Trump said at last presidential debate in Nashville, which was moderated by NBC’s Kristen Welker. “It will be distributed very quickly.”

Also read:

Coronavirus vaccine expected ‘within weeks’, claims Donald Trump in final US presidential debate

9.18 am: The United States Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted full approval to the antiviral drug remdesivir as a treatment for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, AFP reports. The drug was given conditional authorisation in May. Gilead said the drug, sold under the brand name Veklury, was the only specific treatment for Covid-19 approved so far under a more rigorous process.

9.15 am: Here are the top updates from Thursday.