With 54,044 new cases reported across the country on Tuesday, the coronavirus infection has now affected over 7.6 million people in India.

As many as 717 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,15,914. Of the 76,51,108 cases, 7,40,090 cases are still active, while recoveries stand at 67,95,103.

On Monday, India recorded less than 50,000 new infections of novel coronavirus cases for the first time in nearly three months. The continuous decline in the number of new cases has meant that, after two and half months, India has stopped reporting the highest number of cases in the world. For the last three days, the United States, which is in the midst of a resurgence, has reported more new infections than India. There is a resurgence of cases in several countries of Europe as well.

In his seventh address to the nation since the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said the lockdown might have been lifted in the country but the “virus is still out there”. The Prime Minister spoke in the backdrop of repeated warnings by experts that with nearly all activities having returned to normal, the festival season may result in a surge of infections. The battle against Covid-19 would not be over and successful until a vaccine was found, the Prime Minister said.

Amazon.com Inc. will let corporate employees work from home through June 2021, the latest company to push back re-opening offices as Covid-19 cases surge again across the US. Japanese movie goers meanwhile defied the pandemic, setting a box-office record for a comic-book film. Globally, the infections have topped 40.7 million, with over 1.1 million deaths.

Source: The Indian Express 

BDST: 1503 HRS, OCT 21, 2020
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