What you need to know about the coronavirus right now

Densely populated Kerala accounted for nearly 70% of the 47,092 new infections and a third of deaths, a week after it celebrated its biggest festival during which family and social gatherings were common. Vaccinations have soared in recent days as supplies have improved, and experts think another national surge in cases will be less deadly than the last one in April and May. Moderna to recall vaccine doses in Japan Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co on Wednesday said they are working with Japanese authorities to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation found stainless steel contaminants in some vials.

Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus right now: India has most cases in two months

India reported the biggest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases in two months on Thursday, as the government worries about the virus spreading from the most-affected Kerala state, schools reopening, and the start of the festival season. Densely populated Kerala accounted for nearly 70% of the 47,092 new infections and a third of deaths, a week after it celebrated its biggest festival during which family and social gatherings were common.

Vaccinations have soared in recent days as supplies have improved, and experts think another national surge in cases will be less deadly than the last one in April and May. Moderna to recall vaccine doses in Japan

Moderna and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co on Wednesday said they are working with Japanese authorities to recall three batches of COVID-19 vaccine after an investigation found stainless steel contaminants in some vials. Japanese authorities had suspended the use of these batches of Moderna shots containing 1.63 million doses last week after being notified of the contamination issue.

Moderna on Wednesday asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allow the use of a third booster dose of its vaccine. New Zealand says fall in cases shows lockdown working New Zealand reported a drop in new infections on Thursday, which authorities said was a sign that a nationwide lockdown was helping to limit the spread of the Delta variant. Authorities reported 49 new infections in the outbreak epicenter of Auckland, a fall from 75 on Wednesday, taking the tally to 736. Australian doctors on Thursday warned the country's hospitals are not ready to cope with the government's reopening plans, even with higher vaccination rates, as some states prepare to move from a virus suppression strategy to living with COVID-19. J&J vaccine shipments from South Africa to Europe halted An arrangement whereby Johnson & Johnson was shipping COVID-19 vaccine doses to Europe that had been packaged in South Africa has been suspended, African Union envoy Strive Masiyiwa said on Thursday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said last month he was "stunned" by the arrangement, since Europe has very high vaccination rates while even the most vulnerable people in many African countries had not been vaccinated. Shots packaged by J&J's South African partner Aspen that was already sent to Europe would be returned, Masiyiwa told a news briefing on Thursday. Bulgaria imposes new restrictions Restaurants and bars in Bulgaria will have to close at 10 p.m. from Sept. 7, while indoor sports competitions will be held without spectators, the health minister said on Thursday, as the Balkan country braces for a surge of new infections. Bulgaria, the least vaccinated country against the coronavirus in the European Union, has seen a spike in infections in recent weeks, most of the Delta variant. Thailand cites positive results from Sinovac-AstraZeneca Thailand's health ministry said on Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine regimen of China's Sinovac followed by British-developed AstraZeneca was safe and successfully boosted immunity among its first 1.5 million recipients. Thailand in July became the first country in the world to mix a Chinese vaccine and a Western-developed vaccine as cases and deaths in the country surged and the government struggled with vaccine supplies.