COVID-19: India reports over 2.8L new cases, 573 fatalities
India recorded 2.86 lakh new COVID-19 cases on Thursday. As many as 573 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, pushing the death toll to over 4.91 lakh. However, active cases in the country dipped to 22 lakh, accounting for 5.46% of the total cases. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 19.59%.
Why does this story matter?
India's daily infections appear to have stabilized, however, they continue to remain extremely high. The country is currently witnessing a sharp spike in infections, the "third wave," which has been attributed to the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus. Notably, India's daily tally has jumped by 30 times over the past month in a sharp rise.
India's COVID-19 tally climbs to 4.03 crore
According to the Union Health Ministry, India witnessed a total of 4,03,71,500 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday morning. The death toll stands at 4,91,700 while the active caseload was recorded at 22,02,472. With 3,06,357 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stand at 3,76,77,328. In the past 24 hours, 2,86,384 new cases and 573 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 17.17%.
Kerala, Karnataka report nearly 50,000 cases each
Kerala reported the most number of fresh cases with 49,771 infections and 34,439 discharges. Karnataka added 48,905 fresh cases and 41,699 recoveries. Maharashtra reported 35,756 new COVID-19 cases along with 39,857 more recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 29,976 new cases and 27,507 discharges. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh reported 13,618 new cases and 8,687 recoveries.
Over 163 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 11 am on Thursday, India administered over 163.8 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, more than 69.4 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 93.5 crore people have received at least one dose. On Thursday alone, India administered roughly 3.6 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses till 11 am, including 1.86 lakh second doses and over 86,000 lakh first doses, according to Co-WIN.
Over 92L precautionary dose administered
Meanwhile, India has administered over 92.6 lakh "precautionary" doses since January 10. On Thursday, nearly 27,000 healthcare/frontline workers and more than 65,500 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.
Government reluctant to give third doses to all
Reportedly, the central government is still mulling over its policy to administer third vaccine doses. Considering the opinion of its scientific experts, the government may not expand the administration of "precaution" doses (essentially, booster doses) to other age groups, official sources told The Times of India. Currently, the doses are being administered to healthcare/frontline workers and those aged over 60 with co-morbidities.
