India on Saturday registered less than 3,000 new Covid cases in 24 hours for a sixth consecutive day, even as several countries witness a worrying surge in caseloads. The health ministry said 2,075 new Covid-19 cases had been reported and that the active caseload had now dropped below the 28,000-mark, or 0.06 per cent of the nation's cumulative caseload.
Over the last 24 hours, 71 Covid-related deaths were also registered, taking the total number of lives lost to around 5.16 lakh. The death rate remains at 1.20 per cent.
As many as 3,383 people were said to have 'recovered' from the infection in the last 24 hours. The national 'recovery rate' is now 98.73 per cent.
Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to state/UT health officials on Friday to emphasise focus on the government's five-fold strategy - 'test, track, treat, vaccinate, and adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour'.
{{/usCountry}}Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to state/UT health officials on Friday to emphasise focus on the government's five-fold strategy - 'test, track, treat, vaccinate, and adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour'.
{{/usCountry}}The average number of daily infections globally increased by 12 per cent over the week to 1.8 million as Western counties see a rebound, according to AFP. Covid cases in France increased by 35 per cent this week, while Italy and Britain were up 42 per cent each.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said countries should provide free Covid-19 testing for refugees from Ukraine to avoid outbreaks.
The United Nations estimates that over three million - many women and children - have fled Ukraine since Russian forces invaded February 24.
Meanwhile, mainland China reported its first two Covid-19 deaths in more than a year, the National Health Commission said Saturday. The deaths were the first reported on the mainland since January 26, 2021. The mainland also reported 4,051 new cases Saturday. Hong Kong has crossed the one million cases mark, the Associated Press reported.