PremiumNew Covid-19 cases saw a slight increase for the second day on Thursday with 94,052 more people testing positive, according to data by the Union health ministry.
The number stood at 92,596 the previous day. With the addition of new infections, the cumulative tally has reached 2,91,83,121.
The fatality count has seen the biggest jump in the last 24 hours as states reviewed their backlog data.
According to the health ministry, the addition took the number of deaths reported between Wednesday and Thursday to 6,148 deaths. The cumulative toll now stands at 3,59,676.
In the most recent development, Bihar added 3,951 backlog fatalities to its toll after the Patna High Court last month flagged irregularities. The state's death toll has now jumped to 9,429.
On a brighter note, the number of recoveries has outnumbered new cases yet again with 1,51,367 being discharges in the last 24 hours. This has taken the total number of discharges to 2,76,55,493.
As a result, the active tally has reduced to 11,67,952, declining by 63,463.
Tests conducted so far
India has tested 37,21,98,253 samples for Covid-19 until now, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Out of these, 20,04,690 samples were tested on Tuesday. As many as 19,85,967 tests were carried out in the preceding 24-hour period.
Vaccination in India
The country has so far administered 24,27,26,693 anti-Covid jabs. Among these, 33,79,261 shots were given in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry.
The number of vaccine doses administered in India crosses the 24-crore mark on Wednesday.
Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal have administered the first dose to more than 10 lakh beneficiaries in the 18-44 age group each
Treatment for children
Amid the threat of the third wave looming large, the central government has issued new comprehensive guidelines for the management of Covid-19 among children below 18 years of age.
The guidelines said that Remdesivir (an emergency use authorization drug) is not recommended in children.
"There is lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data with respect to Remdesivir in children below 18 years of age," read a statement by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Further, DGHS recommended steroids only in hospitalised moderately severe and critically ill Covid-19 cases under strict supervision.
"Steroids should be used at the right time, in the right dose and for the right duration. Self-medication of steroids must be avoided," it said.
It has suggested rational use of HRCT imaging (CT Scan).
Greatest contributor to the spread of virus
Unmasked speech in confined spaces poses the greatest risk of spreading the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19, a review published in the Journal of Internal Medicine on Wednesday indicated.
The review describes how different sized respiratory droplets emitted while speaking span a continuum of sizes and can carry different amounts of virus.
Most concerning are intermediate-sized droplets that remain suspended in the air for minutes and can be transported over considerable distances by convective air currents.
Although the largest speech droplets can carry more virions, they are few in number, fall to the ground rapidly and therefore play a relatively minor role in transmission.
Of more concern is small speech aerosol, which can descend deep into the LRT and cause severe disease.
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