India in 'tapering phase' of second wave of COVID-19
India is currently in the "tapering phase" of the second wave of COVID-19, said Dr. VK Paul, the chief of the outbreak's task force. India reported over 13,000 new infections on Monday, marking the lowest single-day spike in 230 days. Active cases comprised 0.56% of the total cases and the daily positivity rate—which has been under 3% for the past 49 days—stood at 1.37%.
Outbreak in Mizoram 'worrying,' says Dr. Paul
Dr. VK Paul told CNBC-TV18 that India is currently in the "tapering phase" of the second wave, as the daily caseload is stabilizing. He expressed concerns about Mizoram, noting that although the absolute number of cases was low, cases per million were "worrying." Largely, the nationwide transmission rate is low, however, certain districts are still recording a positivity rate of over 10%, he said.
'No time to be complacent; social mixing can cause surge'
Dr. Paul said, "We are, in some sense, at a crossroad. We can visualize further tapering of the pandemic. We're seeing that happening in line with the rise in vaccination coverage." However, referring to the outbreak in other nations, he cautioned, "This is no time to be complacent. We are passing through a phase of festivals...Social mixing can lead to an upsurge (in cases)."
India's tally crosses 3.4 crore; over 4.5 lakh dead
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Monday morning, India reported a total of 3,40,81,315 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has reached 4,52,290. So far, 3,34,39,331 patients have recovered, while 1,89,694 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 13,596 new infections, 19,582 more discharges, and 166 fresh fatalities. So far, 97.79 crore vaccine doses have been administered.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
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 2020. Although infections have declined since the second wave peaked, India crossed the 3 crore-mark on June 23. India had crossed the 1 crore-mark on December 19, 2020, and the 2 crore-mark on May 4, 2021.
Weekly infections reach 8-month low
India recorded the lowest weekly number of infections in nearly eight months in the week ending Sunday. Between October 11-17, India recorded 1.09 lakh new infections, which is nearly 25% less compared to the previous week. Last week's case tally was the lowest since the February 22-28 week. Notably, several of the major COVID-hit states recorded a massive decline in weekly cases last week.
55% new cases concentrated in Kerala
Maharashtra reported 1,715 new COVID-19 cases along with 2,680 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 7,555 new cases and 10,773 discharges. Meanwhile, the third worst-hit Karnataka added 326 new cases and 380 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 1,218 new cases and 1,411 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 432 new cases and 586 recoveries.
