Artists gives final touches to a wall graffiti in Kolkata, honouring frontline COVID-19 warriors. (Express Photo : Partha Paul) Coronavirus India Live Updates: India recorded 16,505 new Covid cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am Monday, taking the total number of infections to over 1.03 crore. Active cases further dropped to 2.43 lakh, while recoveries continued to rise and stand at over 99.46 lakh. A total of 214 deaths were reported on Sunday, the toll currently stands at over 1.49 lakh. Kerala continues to remain the top contributor with 4,602 new cases, while Maharashtra reported 3,282 on Sunday.
With two Covid-19 vaccines approved on Sunday, India is set to commence its mass vaccination programme in the “near future” as the centre has told vaccine manufacturers of Covishield and Covaxin to prepare to ship “a significant amount” of doses to over 30 vaccination hubs in the country.
Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that the first shots would be given in January and the first phase, in which India plans to vaccinate over 30 crore priority citizens — healthcare workers, people with comorbidities & people above the age of 50 — will likely be completed in August.
Bharat Biotect’s Covaxin, currently undergoing its late-stage trials will be used as a “back-up” in case of an unexpected surge due to the new variant when the country needs extra dosages, The Indian Express has learnt. Some independent scientists have questioned DCGI’s approval for a vaccine whose efficacy data from its phase 3 trials is still not known.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday hailed the two vaccine approvals as a”decisive turning point” for India’s vaccine development and expressed gratitude to all frontline workers for their “outstanding” work in fighting against the virus. The World Health Organisation too welcomed India’s decision, saying it will help “intensify” and “strengthen” its fight against the ongoing pandemic.
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan visits Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital to review the dry run drill for administering COVID-19 vaccine, in New Delhi. (PTI)
India recorded 16,505 new Covid cases in the 24 hours ending 8 am Monday, taking the total number of infections to over 1.03 crore. Active cases further dropped to 2.43 lakh, while recoveries continued to rise and stand at over 99.46 lakh. A total of 214 deaths were reported on Sunday, the toll currently stands at over 1.49 lakh. . Kerala continues to remain top contributor with 4,602 new cases, while Maharashtra reported 3,282.
Delhirecorded 424 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in over seven months, and 14 fatalities on Sunday, even as the positivity rate slipped to 0.62 per cent, authorities said.
The infection tally in the city stands at over 6.26 lakh and the death toll linked to the pandemic rose to 10,585, they said. The 424 new cases came out the 68,759 tests conducted the previous day, including 39,217 RT-PCR tests and 29,542 rapid antigen tests, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.
Delhi had recorded 494 cases on Saturday while the positivity rate had stood at 0.73 per cent. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain tweeted on Saturday that the positivity rate had been below one per cent for the past 11 days, and fresh COVID-19 cases were the lowest since May 17. (PTI)