11.40 am: The Karnataka government asks Centre to supply 25,000 doses of Amphotericin B, an antifungal medication, for treating mucormycosis, which also known as the black fungus, reports PTI. Karnataka Health Minister claims that Amphotericin B is the only cure for mucormycosis.

11.37 am: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot asks the Union health ministry to investigate the purchase of defective ventilators made available through the PM-CARES Fund. “The Centre had made 1,900 ventilators available to the state from the PM Cares Fund,” he says in a statement. “It was responsible for the installation and maintenance of these ventilators. According to doctors, many of these ventilators have technical shortcomings due to which using them can prove to be dangerous for patients.”

11.34 am: Odisha registers 12,390 new coronavirus cases, 8,665 recoveries and 22 deaths in the last 24 hours, reports ANI. With this, the infection tally climbs to 5,88,687 and the toll increases to 2,273.

11.29 am: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says that another flight carrying medical supplies and equipment for India has left Sydney, reports ANI. He says that the flight has 1056 ventilators, 60 oxygen concentrators and essential supplies.

“At midnight tonight [Friday], the temporary pause on flights from India to Australia ends and facilitated commercial flights by the Australian Government will resume as promised, with a strict pre-flight testing regime to keep Australians safe,” he adds.

Morrison adds that passengers will have to produce both a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test result and a negative rapid antigen test result prior to departure.

11.24 am: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the civic body in Greater Bangalore metropolitan area, says that it was allocating 40,000 coronavirus vaccine doses per day to 198 wards, meaning 200 shots for every ward, reports ANI. Gaurav Gupta, the civic body’s chief, says the decision is taken on the availability of vaccines. “Priority is being given to people aged 45 years and above for second jab since a limited quantity of vaccines is available,” Gupta adds.

9.44 am: So far, 17,92,98,584 doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered. On Thursday alone, 20,27,162 doses were given.

9.31 am: India registers 3,43,144 new coronavirus cases, pushing the tally in the country to 2,40,46,809 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The toll climbs by 4,000 to 2,62,317. There are 37,04,893 active cases and 2,00,79,599 patients have recovered from the infection.

8.51 am: United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most places, both outdoors and indoors.

8.48 am: United States’ top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci says it would be “difficult” to resume travel from India as it has “very high level” of coronavirus infection at the moment.

8.45 am: Extending duration between first and second doses of vaccine a reasonable approach when there is shortage of vaccine, says top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, reports ANI.

“[It is] unlikely that long delay would have negative effect on vaccine efficacy, says Fauci. “[I] would not refer it as cover-up.”

8.42 am: India receives medical aid from South Korea, Kazakhstan, the European Union and Qatar.

8.41 am: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar says few villages of farmer leaders protesting against the new agriculture laws have emerged as hostpots for coronavirus infetions, reports ANI.

8.39 am: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate enhancement of the state’s daily oxygen supply to 450 metric tonnes, reports ANI.

7.57 am: Here are the top updates from Thursday: