Coronavirus wrap October 8 | President Ram Nath Kovind urges citizens to stand united against COVID-19; UK mulls more local curbs

India has recorded more than 67.5 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 1,04,555 deaths. Of these, more than 9 lakh are active cases while over 57.4 lakh have recovered.

Across the country, 11.99 lakh samples were tested for the novel coronavirus on October 6, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

Globally, more than 3.5 crore infections and over 10.4 lakh deaths have been reported due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally remains the highest among Indian states and union territories.

The health ministry updates its numbers a day after states release their data.

Here are all the latest updates:

>> President Ram Nath Kovind urged citizens to stand united to defeat coronavirus through collective determination and discipline. He also asked them to wear masks, wash hands and practise social distancing.

>> AstraZeneca could start profiting from its COVID-19 vaccine as soon as July next year, according to reports citing a memo showing the British drugmaker can declare when it considers the pandemic to have ended. The London-listed firm previously said it would not profit from the vaccine "during the pandemic", and the report attributes the development to a memorandum of understanding signed this year between AstraZeneca and Brazilian public health organisation, Fiocruz.

>> Millions of people in South Asia are being pushed into extreme poverty as the region where a quarter of humanity lives suffers its worst-ever recession due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank said.

>> With the likelihood of a vaccine against coronavirus being available within months, the government has begun a massive exercise to map out cold chain storage facilities to ensure the vaccine is delivered quickly across the country, according to a report by news agency PTI.

>> Airlines may be permitted to operate maximum 75 percent of their pre-COVID scheduled domestic flights if the passenger numbers continue to remain healthy during the next 7-10 days, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

>> US President Donald Trump has warned that China will have to "pay a big price" for the spread of coronavirus globally.

>> British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government said it is considering additional local COVID-19 restrictions for parts of northern England as the second wave of the novel coronavirus accelerates.