New Delhi:
India reported more than 300,000 new COVID-19 infections for the fifth day in a row, although the number of cases in the past 24 hours was eight percent lower than the day before, data released by the government shows.
Here are the top 10 updates on the coronavirus in India:
With the addition of 3.06 lakh cases reported today, the Covid count in India – the second worst affected country after the US – now stands at 3.95 crore cases.
Active cases now comprise 5.69 percent of total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has fallen to 93.07 percent. The daily positivity rate – the proportion of coronavirus tests that come back positive and is considered an important marker of the status of the pandemic – has risen from 17.78% to 20.75%, while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 17.03 percent.
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded the dose of 162.26 crore. At least 72 percent of India’s adult population has been fully vaccinated, while about 52 percent of children aged 15-18 have been vaccinated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Ministry of Health, as many as 439 people have died from Covid in the past 24 hours. 60 percent of patients who died during the current wave of COVID-19 pandemic were partially or completely unvaccinated.
Maharashtra added 40,805 cases of COVID-19 bringing the total to 75,07,225, while 44 fatalities put the total death toll at 1,42,115. Mumbai reported 2,550 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths.
Schools in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, are reopening today for offline classes for preschoolers and grades 1-12. Maharashtra’s Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad had made the announcement last week and said parental consent will be important for participation. The minister also said local authorities are empowered to assess the Covid situation and make the decision on the safe reopening of schools.
Delhi added 9,197 new cases, which is 19 percent lower than yesterday’s (11,486). At 13.3 percent, the positivity rate (the number of cases detected per 100 tests) had fallen from 16.3 percent the day before. The national capital also reported 35 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours. Daily cases in Delhi have fallen after reaching a record high of 28,867 on Jan. 13.
In the south, Karnataka reported 50,210 cases of Covid in the past 24 hours, two days after the state lifted the weekend curfew. Currently, there are as many as over 3.57 lakh active cases in the state. On the other hand, the daily Covid curve in Tamil Nadu saw a marginal improvement, with the state registering 30,580 new infections.
As of early this year, different parts of the country have been subject to varying degrees of restrictions to contain infections caused by the highly transmissible Omicron strain.
The coronavirus has killed at least 5,572,224 people since the outbreak broke out in China in December 2019, according to AFP. The United States has recorded the most Covid deaths with 860,248, followed by Brazil with 622,205, India with 488,884 and Russia 324,752.