Highlights: Puducherry reports over 1,200 new Covid-19 cases, 21 deaths

The Covid-19 numbers in India remained below record levels as the country added 186,364 fresh cases and 3,660, fatalities over 24 hours. The caseload has now pushed to 27,555,457, while the death toll stands at 318,895.

On Thursday, the Centre confirmed that it is in talks with Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine makers and looking to approve vaccines cleared by World Health Organization and regulatory agencies in the West.

Meanwhile, Germany has decided to inoculate children over the age of 12 from June 7. The European Medicines Agency is expected to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid jab for 12- to 15-year-olds on Friday. It is already authorised in the EU for those over 16.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was too early to say whether England’s economy can fully reopen as planned on June 21, warning that the virus variant first identified in India continues to spread.

California will give $116.5 million in prizes for residents who are vaccinated, with draws on June 4 and 11 selecting 30 winners to receive $50,000 each. In the final draw on June 15, 10 residents will get $1.5 million each. In another push for vaccinations, Qantas Airways is considering giving away free flights.

Singapore will tighten border measures for travelers from Australia’s Victoria state due to the latest outbreak there. Japan is looking to extend its state of emergency to June 20, just five weeks before the Olympics.

Follow all the updates here:

• MAY 28, 2021 11:51 PM IST

  Puducherry reports over 1,200 new Covid-19 cases, 21 deaths

  Puducherry reports 1223 new #COVID19 cases, 1779 recoveries, and 21 deaths in the last 24 hours.
  
  Total cases 1,01,900
  Total recoveries 86,528
  Death toll 1476
  
  Active cases 13,896 pic.twitter.com/2o4t1MPwAU

  — ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2021

• MAY 28, 2021 11:27 PM IST

  Assam logs 5,436 new Covid-19 cases, 80 deaths

  Assam reports 5436 new #COVID19 cases, 5760 recoveries, and 80 deaths in the last 24 hours.
  
  Total cases 3,98,010
  Total discharges 3,40,178
  Death toll 3168
  
  Active cases 53,317 pic.twitter.com/37J3mQ5bJZ

  — ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2021

• MAY 28, 2021 11:00 PM IST

  Chhattisgarh sees 2,840 Covid-19 cases, tally crosses 9.65 lakh mark

  Chhattisgarh's Covid-19 tally reached 9,65,208 on Friday after 2,840 people tested positive for the infection, while 67 deaths took the toll to 12,915, a health official said.

• MAY 28, 2021 10:42 PM IST

  Goa reports 1,055 new Covid-19 cases

  Goa reports 1055 new Covid-19 cases, 1,396 recoveries, and 32 deaths in the last 24 hours.

  Total cases 1,53,456

  Total recoveries 1,35,560

  Death toll 2570

  Active cases 15,326

• MAY 28, 2021 10:22 PM IST

  Telangana reports 3,527 new Covid-19 cases

  Telangana reports 3527 new Covid-19 cases, 3982 recoveries, and 19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

  Total cases 5,71,044

  Total recoveries 5,30,025

  Death toll 3226

  Active cases 37,793

• MAY 28, 2021 10:01 PM IST

  Haryana reports 2007 new Covid-19 cases

  Haryana reports 2007 new Covid-19 cases, 5025 recoveries, and 96 deaths in the last 24 hours.

  Total cases 7,52,069

  Total recoveries 7,18,959

  Death toll 8035

  Active cases 25,075

• MAY 28, 2021 09:11 PM IST

  Italy reports 126 coronavirus deaths on Friday, 3,738 new cases

  Italy reported 126 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 171 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections fell to 3,738 from 4,147.

• MAY 28, 2021 09:02 PM IST

  Punjab has reported 3,724 new Covid-19 positive cases

  Punjab has reported 3,724 new Covid-19 positive cases, 6,797 recoveries, and 148 deaths today.

• MAY 28, 2021 08:55 PM IST

  Karnataka reports 22,823 new Covid-19 cases, 401 deaths

  Karnataka reports 22,823 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 25,46,821. 401 deaths were also recorded, the death toll now stands at 27,806, according to the state health bulletin.

• MAY 28, 2021 08:13 PM IST

  Maharashtra records 20,740 new Covid-19 cases, 424 deaths

  Maharashtra recorded 20,740 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to 5,692,920, according to the state health bulletin. 424 fatalities were also reported in the last 24 hours, which has taken Maharashtra’s death toll to 93,198.

• MAY 28, 2021 07:41 PM IST

  Himachal Pradesh reports 1,523 new Covid-19 cases, 64 deaths

  Himachal Pradesh reports 1,523 new COVID-19 positive cases, 3148 recoveries, and 64 deaths in the last 24 hours.
  
  Active cases: 18,495
  Total positive cases: 1,87,342 pic.twitter.com/KycePrajkF

  — ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2021

• MAY 28, 2021 06:57 PM IST

  Tamil Nadu extends lockdown till 6am on June 7

  The Tamil Nadu government extended the ongoing lockdown till 6 am of June 7. Delivery of essentials such as groceries will be allowed from 7am to 6 pm, reported ANI.

• MAY 28, 2021 06:47 PM IST

  Nagpur records 365 new Covid-19 cases, 11 fatalities

  Nagpur on Friday recorded 365 new Covid-19 cases after 16,451 samples were tested. 11 fatalities and 1,333 recoveries have also been recorded in the last 24 hours.

• MAY 28, 2021 05:53 PM IST

  UK approves of single shot J&J Covid vaccine

  The United Kingdom approved of the single shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine on Friday. Making it the fourth vaccine shot to be available in Britain, UK health ministry told Reuters.

• MAY 28, 2021 05:26 PM IST

  Andhra Pradesh reports 14,429 new Covid-19 cases, 103 deaths

  Andhra Pradesh reported 14,429 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, taking the total tally of cases to 16,57,986. 103 deaths were also recorded in the last 24 hours, the death toll now stands at 10,634.

• MAY 28, 2021 05:14 PM IST

  Delhi's positivity rate at 1.59%, 1,141 new Covid-19 cases reported

  Delhi recorded 1,141 new Covid-19 cases on Friday and 139 fatalities. The positivity rate in the national capital now stands at 1.59% after 71,853 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.

• MAY 28, 2021 04:26 PM IST

  Tata Steel imports 3,000 oxygen cylinders from UAE for Jharkhand

  We have imported 3000 Oxygen Cylinders from UAE to the state by Tata Steel Limited under CSR; another 2000 cylinders will arrive in a week. All 5000 cylinders to be dedicated for public use: Chief Minister's Office, Jharkhand pic.twitter.com/s89zOCkJG7

  — ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2021

• MAY 28, 2021 02:58 PM IST

  Prakash Javadekar says India will vaccinate all citizens by 2021

  Union minister Prakash Javadekar said on Friday that India will vaccinate all its eligible citizens against Covid-19 by December of 2021.

• MAY 28, 2021 02:52 PM IST

  International passenger flights to remain suspended till June 30: DGCA

  The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday that international passenger flights will remain suspended till June 30, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

• MAY 28, 2021 02:12 PM IST

  Philippines adds 8,748 new cases; highest single-day spike in 1 month

  Philippines on Friday recorded 8,748 new Covid-19 cases and 187 more deaths, taking the country's caseload and death toll to over 1.2 million and 20,566 respectively. Friday's case count has been the highest in one month.

• MAY 28, 2021 02:10 PM IST

  Neither PM Modi nor Centre understood Covid-19 pandemic: Rahul Gandhi

  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday sharpened his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government over the prevailing second wave of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in India by saying that neither Modi nor the government has been able to understand the viral disease. Read more

• MAY 28, 2021 01:28 PM IST

  Delhi to begin unlocking process as Covid-19 cases come down, says CM Kejriwal

  Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that the ongoing lockdown in national capital will last till May 31, 5am and the unlocking process will begin after that. "Construction activities and factories will be reopened from Monday keeping the daily wage workers in mind," Kejriwal said while addressing a briefing, according to news agency ANI.

• MAY 28, 2021 12:35 PM IST

  DRDO's anti-Covid drug to cost ₹990 per sachet

  Officials in the central government told news agency ANI on Thursday that Defence Research and Development Organisation's 2DG anti-Covid-19 drug will cost ₹990 per sachet by Dr Reddy’s lab. "Govt hospitals, central and state govt would be provided the medicine at a discounted price," the officials added.

• MAY 28, 2021 11:34 AM IST

  Japan to extend state of emergency in several areas ahead of Olympics

  Japan is set to extend state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas till June 20 as there is no improvement in the overall Covid-19 situation less than two months before the Olympics.

• MAY 28, 2021 10:51 AM IST

  South Asian regions accounts for 18% of global cases

  Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data. The South Asia region - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka - accounts for 18% of global cases and almost 10% of deaths.

• MAY 28, 2021 09:59 AM IST

  India's daily Covid-19 cases fall to 186,364; death toll reaches 318,895

  India recorded 186,364 fresh cases of Covid-19 on Friday, lowest in last 44 days, according to the Union health ministry's dashboard on Friday. The death toll increased to 315,235 as 3,660 people succumbed to the viral disease over the last 24 hours. After Friday's additions, the overall nationwide tally now stands at 27,555,457. Read More

• MAY 28, 2021 08:29 AM IST

  Colombia reports 513 fresh cases

  Colombia reported 513 more deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, raising the nationwide death toll to 86,693, the health ministry said Thursday.

• MAY 28, 2021 06:45 AM IST

  7 new cases in China takes overall tally to 91,045

  China reported 7 new Covid-19 cases on the mainland for May 27, down from 19 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Friday.