Coronavirus live updates: Maharashtra government allows to reopen gyms and fitness centres from Dussehra

The state also recorded 11 deaths, taking the toll to 3,620

The European Medicines Agency could approve three Covid-19 vaccines early next year, its Executive Director Guido Rasi said on Friday, according to a report by Italian news agency ANSA. "If everything goes well, in the first months of 2021, there could be three vaccines approved by EMA. But everything has to go well. There's a little hitch behind every corner," the agency quoted Rasi as telling Sky TG24 news in an interview.

"FSSAI's Eat Right India movement targets to promote safe and healthy food for everyone in an environmentally sustainable way. It is a part of its mandate to provide safe and wholesome food for all citizens. This will improve the food safety ecosystems and lift the hygiene and health of our citizens," Vardhan stressed, while presiding over an event organised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Britain said on Friday it had changed its rules around administering and distributing vaccines to make the speedy rollout of any Covid-19 vaccine easier and increase the number of people able to give jabs. The change comes into force after a consultation on the plans, which include giving Britain's medical regulator the ability to grant temporary authorisation for any coronavirus vaccine that meets safety and quality standards but before it has received a full licence. The new rules also allow more healthcare workers to give Covid-19 and flu vaccines.

57 deaths took toll to 10,529; 89,497 underwent tests. Active cases touch 40,959

Infection tally rises to 29,193, death toll reaches 320. The state currently has 3,108 active cases

Anti-viral drug remdesivir has little or no effect in the recovery and mortality of hospitalised Covid-19 patients, said a World Health Organisation (WHO) study, giving a big blow to the hope that the drug from US-based Gilead Sciences raised in combating the pandemic. The study, which spans more than 30 countries, looked at the effects of these treatments on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay in hospitalised patients.

Environment and health experts have asked people, especially those vulnerable to COVID-19 attack, to be more careful as the chronic exposure to air pollutants is associated with severe infections and higher mortality. They feel that lungs compromised due to pollution could lead to complications like pneumonia during COVID-19.

The Calcutta High Court directed the community Durga Puja organisers in West Bengal on Friday to spend 75 per cent of the Rs 50,000 grant given by the state government on the procurement of COVID protection equipment and the rest on strengthening public-police bonding. A division bench comprising justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee directed that the money given by the state to the Durga Puja committees cannot be used for any other purpose, and purchase bills have to be submitted to the authorities for audit. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced on September 24 the Rs 50,000 grant for each of the 36,946 Durga Puja committees in the state.

The city of Jiaxing, south of Shanghai, is offering a vaccine under development by Sinovac, it said in an announcement Thursday. It said high-risk groups, including people who are “responsible for the basic operations of the city” will receive priority, but that residents who have emergency needs can also sign up. The vaccine is in the final stage of clinical testing, but has not yet been approved. The city government said it is being provided under an emergency authorization.

India has one of the lowest Covid-19 deaths per million population in the world with less than 1,000 fatalities registered daily since October 4, while the fatality rate of 1.52 per cent on Friday was the lowest since March 22, the Union Health Ministry said. These results have been boosted by 22 states and Union Territories which have demonstrated better performance and are reporting even lower deaths per million population compared to the national average, it said.

The British government is sticking to its strategy of tiered, regional restrictions to combat COVID-19 amid mounting political and scientific pressure for stronger nationwide measures to prevent the coronavirus pandemic from spiraling out of control. Scientific advisers had recommended a short nationwide lockdown to slow rapidly rising infection rates.

The Delhi Government Thursday told the Delhi High Court that the policy decision directing 33 big private hospitals to reserve 80 per cent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients was taken as a stop-gap and temporary measure with an intent to mitigate the surge of coronavirus cases in the national capital. The government defended its decision and opposed a plea challenging the September 13 order, directing all the private hospitals having bed strength of 50 or more to reserve at least 80 per cent of their total ICU bed strength for COVID-19 patients.