Coronavirus live updates: India's recovery rate jumps to 72.51%

The total cases in the state rise to 32,695 including 862 deaths and 20,180 patients discharged. Active cases stand at 11,653

Representatives from Serum Institute of India, Pune; Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad; Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad; Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, Pune; and Biological E, Hyderabad were present

"This pandemic has given us a chance to revisit and structurally re-imagine a robust public health infrastructure for our country," Vardhan was quoted as saying by a statement. Citing India's successful approach in containing and curing this novel health risk, he lauded the country's capacity to turn government schemes into a broader social movement that saw “the complete eradication of small-pox and polio from a time when India contributed 60 per cent of the global cases of polio".

The state also recorded deaths of 15 patients, taking the death toll to 2,802. he deaths include three each from Ahmedabad and Surat, two each from Morbi, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Vadodara, and one from Gir Somnath.

The total number of cases in the State stands at 4,687 including 1216 central security personnel. The recovery rate is 58.33%

The UK government on Monday issued an appeal for more people from an ethnic minority background, including those of Indian-origin, to sign up for ongoing clinical trials for a potential vaccine to combat COVID-19. A targeted recruitment programme broadcast in Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali and Urdu is among the measures being deployed to reach out to different communities.

Case tally touches 343945 and toll reaches 5,886. Chennai added 1185 cases and 24 deaths

Trinamool Congress MLA Samaresh Das, who had tested positive for COVID-19 recently, died at a hospital in Kolkata on Monday, party sources said. He was 76. The three-time MLA from Egra assembly constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal was admitted to a hospital a few days back after he had tested positive for coronavirus and developed other health complications, party sources said.

The toll increases to 2732 with 82 more deaths

A late-stage trial of a COVID-19 candidate vaccine from CanSino Biologics Inc has started in Russia, registration records showed, as the Chinese pharmaceutical firm steps up testing abroad to close in on regulatory approval. The Ad5-nCoV vaccine already has approval for use by China's military after early and mid-stage trials, and further late-stage trials are being lined up for Mexico and Saudi Arabia. CanSino last month said it was in talks for opportunities to launch late-stage - or Phase 3 - trials in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Brazil and Chile.

Average growth rate of the viral infection also went up, according to the city civic body.