Coronavirus live updates: Govt defends gap between two vaccine shots

India reported 62,224 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the total to 29,633,105. The death count climbed to 3,79,573 with 2,542 fresh fatalities. 

The government has defended its decision to double the gap between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine to up to 16 weeks, after three scientific advisers said there was no agreement on such a wide interval. The pilot launch of Russian vaccine Sputnik V, which was initiated in Hyderabad, has now been extended to nine other cities, media reports said.

The government is considering offering as much as Rs 50,000 crore of credit incentives to boost health care infrastructure in the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported quoting sources. The programme will allow companies to access funds for ramping up hospital capacity or medical supplies with the government acting as a guarantor.