Coronavirus: 26,382 Fresh Covid Cases In India, Nearly 20% Higher Than Yesterday

Coronavirus: India is the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world.

New Delhi: India recorded 26,382 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total Covid caseload to over 99.32 lakh. The number of fresh infections is nearly 20% per cent higher than yesterday's. 387 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,44,096. Over 3.32 lakh people in the country have recovered since the beginning of the pandemic. India, which reported its first case on January 30, is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus:

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar on Tuesday moved a step closer towards fulfilling a key election promise made by the ruling Janata Dal United and its ally BJP, as it approved a proposal for providing free anti-coronavirus vaccine to all the people of the state. The decision was taken at the first meeting of the cabinet since the allocation of ministries last month.
The Tamil Nadu government has ordered Covid testing at all colleges and universities after 183 students from IIT-Madras tested positive. Close to 1,000 IIT students and mess workers have been tested. Authorities blame it on the hostel mess and the IIT administration now sends packed food to those staying in the hostels.
Telangana plans to vaccinate 80 lakh people against COVID-19 in targeted groups from mid-January, given in eight-10 days and second dose in another four weeks, Telangana's Public Health Director G Srinivas Rao told NDTV. Telangana has reported 2,79, 135 COVID-19 cases so far.
Maharashtra, India's worst COVID-19-affected state, added 3,442 new cases, with the total number of infected people crossing 18.86 lakh. The state also reported 70 deaths, which took the fatality count to 48,339..
Maharashtra is followed by four southern states in terms of the Covid case count - Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
In Uttarakhand, over 93,000 health workers will be given free coronavirus vaccine, the state's Health Secretary said.
The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that India has among the highest Covid recovery rates in the world for countries with high caseloads, with over 95% having recovered from the infection.
The Drugs Controller General of India has granted clearance for the clinical trials of one more candidate vaccine from India, NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul said on Tuesday, adding that six vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials in India.
The US set a new daily record of Covid cases, with more than 2,48,000 infections registered in the past 24 hours, the Johns Hopkins University virus monitor reported. The Food and Drug Administration released new data confirming Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine was safe and effective, a strong sign that it could receive emergency approval in days and be ready to roll out by next week.
Global coronavirus infections have soared past 7.28 crore, with the US remaining the country hit hardest by far by the health crisis gripping the world, with over three lakh deaths.