With over 20,000 cases in 24 hours India’s COVID-19 tally at 6.25 lakh, death toll climbs to 18,213

A waiter wearing a facemask serves a customer at the Indian Coffee House after the establishment reopened following the eased restrictions imposed by authorities as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Kolkata on July 2, 2020. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP)


India’s coronavirus tally rose to 6,25,544 on Friday which includes 2,27,439 active cases and 3,79,891 recovered cases according to data released by ministry of health. The death toll due to the virus has climbed to 18,213.

As drug manufacturers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, the Drug Controller General of India has approved pharmaceutical firm Zydus Cadila to start Phase I and Phase II human clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday. This is the second vaccine after Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN to get the approval.

Globally 10,842,615 people have been infected with the virus while 5,20,785 people have died due to it according to Johns Hopkins University tracker.