India's COVID-19 active caseload falls below 1.5 lakh

NEW DELHI: India's tally of active COVID-19 cases fell below the 1.5-lakh mark on Tuesday and was pegged at 1,47,306, comprising 1.34 per cent of the total caseload, the Union Health Ministry said, highlighting 21 states and UTs have not reported fresh fatalities in a 24-hour-period.

A total of 10,584 new infections and 13,255 recoveries were recorded in a span of 24 hours, leading to a net decline of 2,749 cases in the total active caseload, it said.

India's daily positivity rate remains below three per cent, the ministry noted.

The country reported 78 new COVID-19 fatalities on Tuesday, the health ministry said, as it underlined that a steady decline is being observed in the number of daily new deaths.

It added that 21 states and union territories have not reported any fresh COVID-19 deaths in a span of 24 hours.

These are Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Sikkim, Tripura, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Till 8 am on February 23, the vaccination coverage stood at 1,17,45,552 through 2,44,877 sessions, as per the ministry's provisional report.

The figure includes 64,51,251 healthcare workers, who were administered the first dose, 12,58,177 healthcare workers, who were given the second dose, and 40,36,124 frontline workers, who got the first dose of the vaccine.

The second dose of COVID-19 vaccination started on February 13 for those beneficiaries who have completed 28 days after the receipt of the first dose.

Inoculation of frontline workers started on February 2. On the 38th day of the inoculation drive on February 22, 6,28,696 vaccine doses were administered — 3,38,373 beneficiaries (healthcare and frontline workers) were given the first dose and 2,90,323 healthcare workers received their second dose.

The ministry said 51.66 per cent of the total vaccine doses are concentrated in seven states.

Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for 10.4 per cent (12,26,775 doses).

Further, it said that 61.15 per cent of the second doses administered were concentrated in eight states.

Karnataka alone accounts for 11.13 per cent of these(1,40,076 doses).

The number of cumulative recoveries in India has surged to 1.07 crore (1,07,12,665), the ministry said.

"The gap between total recovered cases and the active cases is constantly rising and stands at 10,565,359 as on date," it added.

The ministry noted that 84 per cent of the new cases were reported from six states.

Maharashtra recorded the highest number of 5,210 new cases, followed by Kerala (2,212) and Tamil Nadu (449).

Also, six states accounted for 84.62 per cent of the fresh fatalities.

Maharashtra reported 18 deaths, followed by Kerala with 16 and Punjab 15, the ministry said.