The uneven pace of vaccination remains a worry in India’s acheivement of 100 crore vaccination. (Picture: Reuters)

Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today’s New, November 1 Highlights: Almost after 19 months, schools in Delhi will reopen today with 50% capacity, as the AAP-led government allowed schools and colleges to resume offline classes with improvement in the Covid-19 situation. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority recommended reopening schools for classes 6 to 8 with 50% capacity after noting that there had been no instances of increased local transmission after the reopening of classes 9 to 12. With strict adherence to Covid protocols, staggered timetables, no shared lunches, and fully vaccinated staff are some of the measures to be taken schools for reopening, as the surge in fresh Coronavirus infections in some parts of the country triggers the fear of the Covid-19 third wave.

States like West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, and Assam have witnessed a huge spike (up to 40%) in new Covid-19 cases after the Durga Puja festivals. The festive season is still on in India. Some states/UTs have already relaxed Covid restrictions for the festive season. It has been noticed people are lowering guard during celebrations of festivals. The government and health experts are advising people to follow appropriate Covid behavior in order to curb any spread of Coronavirus infection during the festivals.

Meanwhile, the vaccination drive in India has been going smoothly. India has already achieved the 100 crore mark in Covid vaccination last month. However, the uneven pace of vaccination remains a worry. Even over 75% of the eligible population in the country has received at least the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, there are still 48 districts where the first dose coverage is less than 50%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold review meeting districts with low vaccination coverage on Wednesday. According to data from the Union Health Ministry, out of the 48 districts, 27 are from the northeast.

India reported 12,514 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,42,85,814, while the active cases declined to 1,58,817, the lowest in 248 days, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Monday. With 251 fresh fatalities, The Covid-19 death toll surged to 4,58,437, the Health Ministry said. The daily rise in new coronavirus infection has been below 20,000 for 24 straight days and below 50,000 for 127 consecutive days now. The number of active Covid-19 cases now accounts for 0.46% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national recovery rate was recorded at 98.20%, the Health Ministry said.

Globally, the US, UK, and Russia reported a huge spike in fresh Coronavirus infections as they battle new waves. According to World Health Organisation, the number of new cases and Covid-19 deaths globally have started increasing for the first time in two months. While new infections witnessed a rise of 4%, Covid deaths surged 5% in the past week globally. Even the Covid-19 situation in India is under control, the possibility of a third wave looms large amid a record spike of Covid-19 cases in several countries across the globe.

Here are the latest updates on Coronavirus from India and around the globe: