India's central government yesterday urged states to be careful in reopening from Covid-19 lockdowns to prevent a resurgence of infections in the hard-hit country. 

The statement comes as World Health Organization's chief scientist warned that the Delta variant of Covid-19, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease.

Indian states are easing restrictions as a second wave of coronavirus infections appears to abate. The country is second only to the United States in confirmed infections at 29.82 million, with 385,137 deaths.

States and territories "must ensure that the whole process is carefully calibrated," Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote in a letter to top provincial bureaucrats. India yesterday reported 60,753 new Covid-19 cases and 1,647 deaths over the past 24 hours, according to a government statement.

A third wave of infections is likely to hit India by October, and although it will be better controlled than the last outbreak, the pandemic will remain a public health threat for at least another year, a Reuters poll of medical experts showed.

In Russia, Moscow yesterday reported a pandemic high for new coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day, as the city's hospitals are flooded with new patients due to the Delta variant. The city registered 9,120 new coronavirus infections in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, in US, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urged Americans to get shots, as the country looks likely to miss the White House's goal of  inoculating 70% of adults at least one dose of  vaccine by next month. by July 4, the Independence Day holiday. As of Friday, around 65.1% of people in the US had gotten at least one shot.