Highlights: Madhya Pradesh registers 1,463 Covid-19 cases, 1,708 recoveries

"Aarogya Setu app from India has been downloaded by 150 million users, and has helped city public health departments to identify areas where clusters could be anticipated and expand testing in a targeted way," says WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceutical has started manufacturing its Covid-19 plasma treatment even as late stage trials are going on, its chief executive has said.

Telangana recorded 1,708 Covid-19 cases, 2,009 recoveries and five deaths yesterday, taking total cases to 214,792 including 189,351 recoveries, 1,233 deaths and 24,208 active cases: State health department

"We're expecting that early next year we should have vaccine in the country from maybe more than one source. Our expert groups are formulating strategies to plan on how to roll out the distribution of the vaccine in the country," says Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Portuguese science minister Manuel Heitor has tested positive for coronavirus, the government has said. However, he has no symptoms of the infection, the government further said.

US president Donald Trump, who tested positive for Covid-19 on October 2, returned to campaigning in Florida, albeit without a mask and touted his management of the pandemic.

India's Covid-19 tally reaches 7,175,880 new cases in last 24 hours. 706 deaths take death toll to 109,856. Recoveries and active cases at 6,227,295 and 838,729 respectively.

Total number of samples tested up to 12th October is 8,89,45,107 including 10,73,014 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Saumya Pandey, SDM of UP's Modinagar district, has been praised for rejoining office as nodal Covid officer mere 14 days after giving birth, reports ANI. She was appointed the nodal Covid officer for Ghaziabad district in July.

13 new Covid-19 cases reported in mainland China on October 12, down from 21 a day earlier. Seven cases originated from overseas, while six are local, the first time mainland China has seen local transmissions since August 15.

Brazil's health ministry has said the country recorded 8,429 new Covid-19 cases and 201 deaths in last 24 hours, taking its tally past the 5.1 million mark to 5,103,408. Death toll, meanwhile, spiked to 150,689.

18 new Covid-19 cases take Mizoram's tally to 2,202. 2,406 recoveries, 156 deaths and zero deaths in state thus far.

South Korea's Covid-19 caseload increased by 102 as of Monday midnight, marking a triple-digit increase in six days, the country's Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has said.

Over the past five weeks, India has been showing a trend of declining average daily vases: Health ministry

India is showing a trend of declining average daily cases over the past 5 weeks. After a month, on 9th Oct, active cases fell below the 9 lakhs mark and have steadily followed a downward slope: Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/PNaQjXmQma

— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2020

Johnson and Johnson says is pausing all dosing in its coronavirus vaccine trials due to an unexplained illness in a study participant, reports Reuters.