COVID-19: India reports over 2.5L cases; 614 more deaths
India on Tuesday reported over 2.55 lakh new COVID-19 cases, a decline of more than 50,000 from the previous day. Active cases now account for 5.62% of the total cases. The recovery rate also dipped further to 93.15%. However, the daily positivity rate recorded a decline and currently stands at 15.52%. So far, India has conducted a total of 71.88 crore COVID-19 tests.
Why does this story matter?
India on Tuesday saw fewer COVID-19 cases than the day before. The daily positivity rate and active caseload also recorded a decline on Tuesday. This comes as India witnessed an over 20 times jump in daily COVID-19 cases in less than a month. The spike in cases—dubbed India's "third wave"—has been attributed to the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Over 2.6L patients discharged
According to the Union Health Ministry, India witnessed a total of 3,97,99,202 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday morning. The death toll stands at 4,90,462 while the active caseload was recorded at 22,36,842. With 2,67,753 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,70,71,898. In the past 24 hours, 2,55,874 new cases and 614 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 17.17%.
Karnataka reports most new cases
Karnataka added 46,426 fresh cases and 41,703 recoveries, the highest in the country. Maharashtra reported 28,286 new COVID-19 cases along with 21,941 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 26,514 new cases and 30,710 discharges. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 30,215 new cases and 24,639 discharges. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported 14,502 new cases and 4,800 recoveries.
Nearly 163 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 11 am on Tuesday, India administered over 162.9 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, more than 68.8 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 93.2 crore people have received at least one dose. On Tuesday alone, India administered roughly five lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses till 11 am, including over 2.7 lakh second doses and around 1.3 lakh first doses, according to Co-WIN.
Over 84L precautionary dose administered
Meanwhile, India has administered over 84.4 lakh "precautionary" doses since January 10. On Tuesday, nearly 33,000 healthcare/frontline workers and more than 69,000 elderly people were given the precautionary dose till 11 am.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
India's second wave peaked on May 7, 2021, when 4.14 lakh single-day cases were reported, over four times the number of cases reported during the first wave in mid-September 2020. Although infections declined after the second wave peaked, India crossed the three-crore mark on June 23. The country crossed the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020, and the two-crore mark on May 4, 2021.
600 million students affected by shutdowns globally: UNICEF
At least 616 million students are still being affected by full or partial school closures due to COVID-19, said United Nations Children's Fund. In addition to depriving millions of children of the chance to acquire basic skills, these disruptions have affected students' mental health, it said. The disruptions have also prevented many from having access to "a regular source of nutrition," it added.
