Covid-19 update: 29,398 new cases take India's tally to 97,96,770

With 29,398 new covid-19 infections in last 24-hour, India's overall tally rose to 97,96,770. The death toll now stands at 1,42,186 with 414 more people succumbing to the virus in last 24-hour, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Till now, 92,90,834 have recovered, and 37,528 in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are 3,63,749 active cases. As on date, the recovery rate stands at 94.84 per cent while the fatality rate stands at 1.45, the minister added.

A cumulative total of 15,07,59,726 samples have been tested to detect the covid-19 infection in the country. Of these, 9,22,959 tests were conducted on Thursday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka account for more than 72 per cent of cases in the county.

Here're some more updates related to covid-19 pandemic:

*Singapore on Thursday approved Advanced MedTech Holdings' COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, the company said in a statement.

*South Korea continues to grapple with the worst surge as it reported new 689 infections in 24-hours bringing country's total to 40,786.

*Telangana reported 612 new cases, 3 deaths and 502 recoveries, on December 10. Total cases in the state currently stand at 2,76,516, reported ANI.

*France reported 13,750 new cases, taking the total tally past 2.3 million. On the other hand, 292 new fatalities took the national toll to 56,940.

*The U.S. recorded 3,124 deaths Wednesday, the highest one-day total recorded by any country since the onset of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

*Talk show host and media personality Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday said that she had tested positive for the coronavirus.

"I want to let you all know that I tested positive for Covid-19. Fortunately, I'm feeling fine right now," she said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the overall covid-19 tally due to covid-19 has surpassed 69.4 million. Meanwhile, the total deaths have topped 1. 58 million.