Coronavirus India Updates: Active Cases On The Rise Again; Maharashtra Faces Lockdown Threat

Active cases of Covid-19 in India is on the rise once again, sparking fears of a fresh wave of the pandemic.

Authorities reported 14,199 new cases in 24 hours according to the health ministry's update as of 8 a.m on Feb. 22. That’s significantly higher than the 9,695 recoveries in the same period, taking active cases above 1.5 lakh. Covid-19 infections had dropped below this mark on Feb. 6 this year.

Active cases rose for the fifth straight day, up 4,421 in the last 24 hours.

On Monday, the ministry reported 83 deaths with the total tally at over 1.56 lakh. This accounts for 1.42% of the more than 1.1 crore coronavirus cases detected in India.

Key Figures:

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 1,10,05,850
• Active cases: 1,50,055
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 1,06,99,410
• Deaths: 1,56,385
• Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 14,199
• One-day recoveries: 9,695
• One-day deaths: 83

Some states including Maharashtra and Kerala have been advised by the Centre to increase the proportion of RT-PCR tests and regularly monitor mutant strains besides refocusing on strict surveillance and stringent containment in selected districts.

Maharashtra Chief Minister has warned of fresh lockdowns if people do not stick to wearing masks.

Global Update

Globally, cases crossed 111.6 million leaving over 2.4 million dead.

A half-million Americans are dead as a result of the novel coronavirus that first hit U.S. shores just a little more than a year ago. President Joe Biden marked the “truly grim, heartbreaking milestone” during a ceremony at the White House.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared the end of the pandemic is “in sight” for England, as he set out his aim to ease lockdown rules in a series of stages over the next four months.