1. India on Tuesday recorded 1,61,736 new Covid-19 cases, according to the Union health ministry’s data. The country’s overall tally of infections since the pandemic broke out in January 2020 rose to 1,36,89,453. The toll rose to 1,71,058 with 879 deaths in the last 24 hours. India has 12.64 lakh active cases as of Tuesday morning.
  2. The Centre fast-tracked emergency approvals for foreign produced Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted Emergency Use Authorization in other countries. “The first 100 beneficiaries of such foreign vaccines shall be assessed for seven days for safety outcomes before it is rolled out for further immunisation programme within the country,” the Union health ministry said.
  3. Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday recorded 18,021 coronavirus cases, the highest-ever single-day infection count registered in the state, reported PTI. With this, the case tally climbed to 7,23,582 since the pandemic broke out in Janaury 2020. The toll climbed by 85 to 9,309 in the last 24 hours. There are 95,980 active coronavirus cases in the state.
  4. The United States health regulators on Tuesday recommended pausing the use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. They will investigate reports of “rare and severe type of blood clot” in six women. More than 6.8 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine have been administered in the US till now.
  5. As many as 102 devotees have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. Several lakh devotees are visiting the Kumbh Mela each day since it started on April 1 but only a few fraction are being tested. Other basic Covid-19 related protocols such as wearing masks, thermal screening, and checking negative test reports have been ignored.
  6. The Drugs Controller General of India has approved the emergency use of Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, the Union health ministry said. The Russian vaccine, being produced in India in partnership with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in Hyderabad, is the third vaccine to get approved in the country after Serum Institute of India’s Covaxin and Bharat Biotech’s Covishield.
  7. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged the Centre to cancel school board exams, citing a record rise of 13,500 new infections in 24 hours in the Capital. Describing the new wave as “very dangerous”, he stated that 65% of the patients are below the age of 45. Kejriwal has repeatedly urged the Centre to allow those below 45 to get vaccinated, adding that the current wave is worse than the one in November.
  8. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday wrote to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan seeking 50 lakh coronavirus vaccine doses as the stocks in the state are likely to last only three more days. Vijayan’s request came amid similar pleas from several states that continue to face shortages amid a massive surge in infections.
  9. World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that despite more than 780 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines being administered across the world, the pandemic is still “a long way from over”, reported PTI.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 13.66 crore people and killed 29,46,803 since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 7.78 crore people have recovered from the infection.