COVID-19: India reports 2,483 new cases, 1,399 more deaths
India on Tuesday reported 2,483 new COVID-19 cases, slightly lower than the previous day. The active caseload currently stands at 15,636, accounting for 0.04% of the total cases. On Tuesday, India also reported 1,399 COVID-19-related fatalities. Of these, 1,347 deaths (backlog) were reconciled by Assam—reflecting the number of COVID-19-positive patients who died due to other reasons. Meanwhile, India's COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 98.75%.
Why does this story matter?
India on Tuesday reported slightly fewer COVID-19 cases than the day before. Significantly, the active caseload and daily positivity rate have also recorded a decline on Tuesday. Notably, India has been witnessing a sharp increase in cases over the past few days, with cases gradually increasing in many states/UTs, including Delhi. This came after India witnessed a gradual decline in cases since January end.
Nearly 2,000 patients discharged
According to data shared by the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 4,30,62,569 COVID-19 cases until Tuesday morning, while the cumulative death count reached 5,23,622. With 1,970 fresh discharges, the number of total recoveries in the country climbed to 4,25,23,311. On the other hand, the daily and weekly positivity rates were recorded at 0.55% and 0.58%, respectively.
Delhi adds most new cases
Maharashtra—one of the worst-hit states so far—reported 84 new cases and 71 more recoveries on Monday. Karnataka added 64 new cases and 69 recoveries, while Tamil Nadu witnessed 55 new cases and 27 discharges. On the other hand, Delhi witnessed 1,011 new cases and 817 discharges. Meanwhile, Kerala reportedly recorded 255 new COVID-19 cases and 325 recoveries on Monday.
India's third wave peaked in January
Notably, India witnessed a massive spurt in coronavirus cases in December-end and at the beginning of January—dubbed India's third wave—due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. The third wave peaked on January 21, 2022, when 3.47 lakh single-day cases were recorded. However, this was lower compared to the second wave, when 4.14 lakh single-day infections were recorded at a peak on May 7, 2021.
Over 187.9 crore vaccine doses administered
As of Tuesday morning, India has administered over 187.9 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 85.2 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while more than 100 crore people have received one dose. On Tuesday alone, India administered over 2.9 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses till 10:30 am, including nearly 1.9 lakh second doses and over 53,000 first doses, according to Co-WIN.
2.57 crore 'precautionary' doses administered
Moreover, India has administered over 2.57 crore "precautionary" doses since January 10. On Tuesday, over 21,000 people in the age group of 18-59 years and over 32,000 people aged above 60 years were given the precautionary dose till 10:30 am.
Goa's expert panel predicts possible 4th wave in June-July
Meanwhile, the Goa government's expert committee on COVID-19 has predicted the state might witness the COVID-19 fourth around June-July. "When there is a virus, it reappears or disappears in four months. We are expecting this phenomenon in June-July after the third wave," said the panel's head, Dr. Shivanand Bandekar. Earlier, IIT Kanpur scientists also predicted India may witness a fourth wave in June.
