COVID-19: India logs 227 new cases, one death
India on Sunday reported over 200 new COVID-19 cases, an increase of over 20 cases from the previous day. The country's active caseload currently stands at 3,424, which accounts for 0.01% of the total cases recorded so far. In the past 24 hours, a total of 227 fresh cases and one COVID-19-related fatality were recorded. Meanwhile, the country's recovery rate stood at 98.8%.
Why does this story matter?
India on Sunday reported a slightly higher number of COVID-19 cases than the day before. The active caseload and positivity rates recorded an increase on Sunday. Among states, Kerala and Maharashtra added the most cases to the national tally. Meanwhile, India has begun preparing for a possible COVID-19 resurgence. This came after a massive surge in cases in China, attributed to Omicron BF.7 subvariant.
198 patients recovered
According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 4,46,77,106 COVID-19 cases until Sunday morning, while the cumulative death count stood at 5,30,693. With 198 fresh discharges, the number of total recoveries in the country climbed to 4,41,42,989. On the other hand, the daily and weekly positivity rates were recorded at 0.15% and 0.14%, respectively.
Kerala adds most new cases
Kerala, which has been one of the worst-hit states since the pandemic broke out, recorded 61 new cases and 63 more recoveries on Saturday. While Karnataka saw 16 new cases and 13 discharges, Maharashtra recorded 38 fresh infections and 35 recoveries. Meanwhile, Rajasthan reported 21 fresh cases and 14 recoveries on Saturday. On the other hand, Delhi reported 18 new cases and 14 discharges.
India's fresh scare due to Omicron BF.7 subvariant
India witnessed a massive coronavirus spurt in December 2021 and at the beginning of January 2022—dubbed India's third wave—due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. The third wave peaked on January 21, with 3.47 lakh single-day cases. However, this was lower compared to the second wave that peaked on May 7, 2021. Currently, India is facing a fresh scare due to Omicron BF.7 subvariant.
Over 220 crore vaccine doses administered
As of Sunday morning, India administered about 220.05 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 95.11 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while more than 102 crore people have received at least one dose. On Sunday alone, India administered over 15,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses till 2:30 pm, including over 1,416 second doses and nearly 800 first doses, according to the Co-WIN app.
22.22 crore 'precautionary' doses administered
Furthermore, India has administered over 22.22 crore "precautionary" doses since January 10, 2022. On Sunday, over 12,000 people in the age group of 18-59 years and nearly 1,000 people aged above 60 years were given the precautionary dose till 2:30 pm.
