Coronavirus India Updates: Active Cases Drop To 1.6 Lakh Even As Vaccination Drive Slows Down

Global Update

AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid vaccine showed 82.4% effectiveness with a three-month gap between two shots, according to a new study that bolsters the U.K.’s controversial decision to adopt the extended dosing interval. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine provided strong protection in an interim analysis of an advanced clinical trial.

Singapore passed a law that will allow contact-tracing data to be used in certain criminal investigations, while Hong Kong is reportedly considering easing capacity limits on schools. U.S. will test a program to provide coronavirus vaccines directly to pharmacies, as officials try to ratchet up the pace of inoculations.

Globally, Covid-19 cases topped 103.8 million with more than 2.25 million dead from the infection.