Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 22 thanked a host of world leaders for their wishes to India on crossing the 100-crore vaccine doses milestone and underlined that the country remains a steadfast partner in global efforts towards fighting the Covid pandemic.

Wishes continued to pour in for India from various heads of state and government a day after the cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore milestone.

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 latest updates:

Canada

Canada scraps COVID-19 travel advisory; Ontario to end mask, vaccine rules by March

Canada has scrapped an official advisory urging its citizens to shun non-essential foreign travel, given its successful campaign to inoculate people against COVID-19, the country’s top medical officer said on Friday.

Hours later, Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, issued a timeline to lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, with the aim of removing all proof of vaccination and mask requirements by March 2022. – Reuters

Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine more than 90% effective in kids

Kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear safe and nearly 91% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in 5- to 11-year-olds, according to study details released Friday as the U.S. considers opening vaccinations to that age group.

The shots could begin in early November, with the first children in line fully protected by Christmas, if regulators give the go-ahead. That would represent a major expansion of the nation’s vaccine drive, encompassing roughly 28 million elementary school-age youngsters.

Details of Pfizer’s study were posted online. The Food and Drug Administration was expected to post its own review of the company’s safety and effectiveness data later in the day. – AP

National

Petro taxes funding vaccines, says Union Minister Hardeep Puri

Reiterating that the excise duty levied on petroleum products is funding free COVID-19 vaccines and public welfare schemes, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Puri said on Friday that global oil prices would likely fall by the time India vaccinates its entire population, indicating no tax cuts may be expected at that time.

Facing multiple queries about the high retail prices for fuels at the closing press conference of India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, Mr. Puri said the Centre has been charging ₹32 as excise per litre, irrespective of whether the oil price was $19 a barrel or $84 a barrel, whereas States charge an ad valorem duty.

Tamil Nadu

COVID-19 vaccine did not cause actor Vivekh’s death: panel

The death of actor Vivekh, two days after inoculation against COVID-19 earlier this year, was not due to the vaccine, the National Adverse Events Following Immunisation Committee has said.

The report of the committee provided the causality assessment results in respect of 92 serious adverse events.

Vivekh’s death, the report said, was a coincidental event, for which a clear cause other than vaccination was found on investigation. He had suffered “acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock with ventricular fibrillation in a known case of hypertension”, it said.

Karnataka

Over 88% of eligible residents of Dakshina Kannada given first dose: Angara

Minister in charge of COVID-19 control in Dakshina Kannada S. Angara on Friday said over 88% of eligible residents of the district had been administered the first dose of the vaccine while 45% had been given the second dose too.

He told reporters here that vaccine coverage was possible because of the cooperation of district-level officials, health workers, voluntary organisations, and people’s representatives in the district.

The Minister said the administration had the target of inoculating 17.15 lakh residents in the district. Of them, 15,07,136 were given the first dose while 8,05,349 were given the second dose too.