India on Saturday witnessed 4,187 Covid-related deaths, the highest spike for the first time, pushing the death toll to over 2.38 lakh, as per Health Ministry data.
With 4,01,078 fresh Covid-19 cases for the third consecutive day, the country saw a slight drop from the past two days. There were 4.12 lakh cases on Thursday, and 4.14 lakh on Friday. The total caseload in the country now stands at 2,18,92,676.
The total active caseload is 37,23,446, while a total of 1,79,30,960 Covid-19 patients have recovered from the deadly disease. So far, 16,73,46,544 persons have been vaccinated in the country against the Covid-19 infection.
With 54,022 new cases in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra continues to be the biggest contributor to the daily tally in the country. Other states like Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, are showing early signs of decrease in daily new Covid-19 cases, as according to the central government. However, the daily death count continues to show an upward trend.
Many states have announced lockdowns and curfews to break the chain of transmission in the last few days. Recently, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Manipur have announced lockdown-like restrictions. While the government in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu ordered a two-week lockdown till May 24, curfew has been imposed in Manipur till May 17.
There have been reports of emergence of a third wave of coronavirus, on which the central government said it is inevitable. However, with strong measures and restrictions, the country may be able to dodge a third wave the government said on Friday.
Meanwhile, with the record rise Covid cases, the healthcare sector in India has been hit hard. Many nations like the US, Australia, UK among others, have come forward to support the country. The cargo plane, carrying three 18-tonne oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators, flew from the UK on Friday as the latest response to Covid-19 crisis.