Heartbreak and despair arrived quickly. Nightmarish scenes we had witnessed in China and Italy reached America, and the nation snapped to attention. Nursing homes near Seattle became the sites of the first deadly U.S. outbreak. We watched the elderly and frail suffer alone: An octogenarian with COVID-19, stretched out in a hospital bed, blowing her family a kiss through a window. (Image: AP)

India recorded its single-day increase in coronavirus cases above 16,000 for the second consecutive day as the infection tally rose to 1,10,63,491, while the recoveries have surged to 1,07,50,680,according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Friday.

A total 16,577 infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,56,825 with 120 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of active cases increased to 1,55,986, which accounts for 1.41 per cent of the total infections, the data stated.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,07,50,680 which translates into a national recovery rate of 97.17 percent. The case fatality rate stood at 1.42 per cent.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5; and50 lakh on September 16.

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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It went past 60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 21,46,61,465 samples have been tested up to February 25, of which 8,31,807samples were tested on Thursday.

Coronavirus update: India records 16,577 fresh infections, 120 deaths

A total 16,577 infections were reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 1,56,825 with 120 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.