At 46,328, fresh Covid cases in India at nine-day high

The trend of rising cases continued for the fifth day running. The day's death toll was 563, staying above 550 for the third day although the number had reduced from Thursday's high of 589. Across north and central India, there were signs that the Covid-19 pandemic was surging again post-Diwali. For the second day in a row, Maharashtra added more than 5,500 cases of Covid-19 on Friday, with the 5,640 new cases.