New Delhi: India witnessed its highest-ever single-day spike of COVID-19 deaths with over 1,700 fatalities in the last 24 hours. According to the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday at least 1,761 people succumbed to the infection in a day, taking the toll to 1,80,530.  As many as 2,59,170 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in India in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases climbed to 1,53,21,089. The country has 20,31,977active cases and 1,31,08,582  total recoveries as of 10 am on Tuesday.

Coronavirus in India: 10 Big Updates so Far

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with vaccine manufacturers on Tuesday. Those expected to be present include representatives of top drugmakers from India and abroad, including the companies whose vaccines have already been approved by the Government of India.

Earlier on Monday, the Centre announced that everyone above the age of 18 will be eligible to get a vaccine against Covid-19 from May 1. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by PM Modi.

The third phase of vaccination, which will start on May 1, aims at liberalized vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine coverage. Private Vaccination providers have to transparently declare their self-set vaccination price and the eligibility through this channel would be opened up to all adults everyone above the age of 18.

Delhi on Monday recorded 240 deaths due to the coronavirus, the highest since the pandemic began over a year ago, and 23,686 cases with a positivity rate of 26.12 per cent, according to data shared by the Health Department. The city has reported 823 deaths due to the deadly virus in the last five days.

To break the chain of transmission, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal yesterday imposed a 6-day lockdown in the national capital.