Coronavirus: India administers 1 crore vaccine doses till 6 pm
India on Tuesday administered as many as 1.08 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, hitting a new record. The total number of vaccine doses administered has crossed 65 crore, according to Co-WIN. The development comes on the day that India recorded nearly 31K new COVID-19 cases, marking a daily test positivity rate of 2.22%. There are concerns that India may see a third wave in September-October.
Over 11% fully vaccinated in India
According to data shared on the Co-WIN dashboard, India administered 1.08 crore vaccine doses till 6 pm on Tuesday. The total number of doses administered was recorded at 65,03,29,061 at the time of writing. Since the launch of India's vaccination drive in January, over 11% of the total population has been fully vaccinated, while 37% has received at least one shot.
Today's vaccinations beat Friday's record of 1 crore doses
The record high of 1.08 crore vaccine doses administered in a day surpasses the previous record of 1,00,64,032 doses administered on Friday. The government has estimated that 1.25 crore doses will be administered by the end of the day.
India reports over 31K new cases, 350 more deaths
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Tuesday morning, India reported a total of 3,27,68,880 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has reached 4,38,560. So far, 3,19,59,680 patients have recovered, while 3,70,640 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 30,941 new infections, 36,275 more discharges, and 350 fresh fatalities. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.51%.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
To recall, India's second wave peaked on May 7, when 4.14 lakh single-day cases were reported, over four times the number of cases reported during the first wave in mid-September. Although infections have declined since the second wave peaked, India crossed the three crore-mark on June 23. India had crossed the one crore-mark on December 19, 2020, and the two crore-mark on May 4.
Over 63% new cases concentrated in Kerala
Maharashtra reported 3,741 new COVID-19 cases along with 4,696 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 19,622 new cases and 22,563 discharges. Meanwhile, the third worst-hit Karnataka added 973 new cases and 1,324 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 1,523 new cases and 1,739 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 878 new cases and 1,182 recoveries.
'Third wave may not hit; stopping it in public's hands'
Separately, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation chief Dr. NK Arora said that the third wave of COVID-19 may not hit India in September-October, as predicted by other experts. He said the same is contingent on avoiding large public gatherings, adding that stopping the third wave is in the public's hands. On vaccinating children, he said the focus should be on vaccinating their parents.
