You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the updates:

National

Ultraviolet tech to mitigate spread of virus in Parliament

Radiation technology to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus has been installed in the Parliament building, Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. However, the Minister urged members to continue following COVID appropriate behaviour.

The Minister said the Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) technology, developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has been installed in Lok Sabha and Central Hall chambers to mitigate the airborne transmission of the coronavirus.

U.S.A.

U.S. to cover cost of over-the-counter COVID tests through Medicare

People enrolled in the U.S. government’s Medicare program can get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for free starting early spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Thursday.

The Biden administration laid out plans last month that require private insurance companies to cover the cost of eight over-the-counter at-home tests per person each month, following a surge in infections due to the Omicron variant.- Reuters

National

Active COVID-19 cases breach 15-lakh mark; 1,056 deaths reported on February 3, 2022

The country recorded 1,47,527 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. The total number of infections has reached 4.18 crore, and the active cases have crossed the 15 lakh mark.

The figures are based on the State bulletins released until 10 p.m. on Thursday. However, Ladakh, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand, and Lakshadweep had not yet released data for the day.

South Africa

South Africa’s Afrigen makes mRNA COVID vaccine using Moderna data

South Africa’s Afrigen Biologics has used the publicly available sequence of Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to make its own version of the shot, which could be tested in humans before the end of this year, Afrigen’s top executive said on Thursday.

The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer. It is also the first mRNA vaccine designed, developed and produced at lab scale on the African continent.- Reuters

National

Sourav Ganguly looks forward to COVID-free days

Sourav Ganguly does not believe heading the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been more challenging than captaining India. But he admits the 28-month stint has been “under tough circumstances due to COVID-19.”

Ganguly, however, is optimistic that things will improve. In a chat with Rashtra News, Ganguly shares his thoughts on various issues.

National

COVID-19 third wave saw an increase in number of younger in-patients

The third COVID-19 surge saw younger in-patients with lesser proportions of all symptoms (and mainly sore throat), lesser use of drugs, and significantly improved outcomes, said the Health Ministry on Thursday.

“Deaths reported were significantly lower (10%) in the fully vaccinated, where 91% of those who died had co-morbidities, as opposed to deaths in the unvaccinated (21%), where 83% of the deceased had co-morbidities. This goes to prove that vaccination offers significant protection,’’ head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr. Balram Bhargava, said.