In a late surge, India has reported more than 300,000 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the highest global daily total.
The country now has a total of 15.93 million cases, the second-highest tally in the world, while deaths jumped by 2104 to reach a tally of 184,657, according to data from the Indian Health Ministry.
The UK variant of the coronavirus has developed a new, concerning mutation in a small number of cases, which scientists said makes it similar to the South African and Brazilian variants and could reduce the efficacy of vaccines.
The emergence of the mutation to the variant first discovered in Britain highlights how complicated exiting COVID-19 lockdown will be even once vaccines are rolled out.
We are continuing to meet every day with CTU leadership - just as we have more than 60 times in the past several months - and we are optimistic that an agreement is within reach.
Our commitment remains the same: to protect lives as we work to land an enforceable agreement to safely return to our school buildings.
