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India reports 12,689 new Covid-19 cases; tally nears 10.69 million
The latest 24-hour spike was over 3,500 cases higher than the last daily count, when 9,102 infections were reported.
India reported 12,689 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the previous 24 hours, as the national tally rose to 10,689,527, the Union health ministry’s dashboard showed on Wednesday. This latest daily count was more than 3,500 infections higher than the previous count, during which 9,102 cases were reported by the health ministry. Previous day’s spike was India’s lowest daily count in more than seven months; on June 3, the country had recorded 8,909 new Covid-19 cases.
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The trend of higher new daily recoveries than fresh cases continued, as 13,320 more patients were discharged in the previous 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,359,305 or 96.91% of total cases, the dashboard showed. Active cases also continue to fall, and are currently at 176,498 or 1.65% of total cases, after witnessing a dip of 768. Death toll, meanwhile, rose to 153,724 as 137 fresh fatalities were reported in this time span, the dashboard further showed. Deaths constitute 1.44% of the national tally.
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India’s latest positive Covid-19 cases were from a total of 550,426 samples tested on January 26, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Wednesday. The government-run ICMR further said that it had tested a total of 193,613,120 samples for the disease thus far.
India is currently conducting the world’s largest vaccination drive against Covid-19, administering shots of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine, Covishield, and Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech International Limited’s Covaxin. India has also sent consignments of Covishield to several of its neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives etc. Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is manufacturing Covishield here, while Covaxin is the country’s first indigenous vaccine against the disease.
In the first phase of vaccination, which began on January 16, healthcare workers are being inoculated. The government aims to vaccinate 30 million healthcare workers; more than 2 million have received shots thus far, as per the health ministry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to get a shot in the second phase in which 270 million people, including senior citizens, will be vaccinated.
