Coronavirus: India hits record 1-day vaccinations; cases reach 154-day low
As of Tuesday, India has administered nearly 55.5 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines. In the past 24 hours, the country administered a record number of 88.13 lakh vaccine doses. The development comes on the day that India recorded a little over 25,000 new COVID-19 cases, hitting a 154-day low in daily infections. Active infections have also slipped to a 146-day low.
Over 9% fully-vaccinated in India
Since India's vaccination drive was launched on January 16, 55,47,30,609 vaccine doses have been administered. India has approved five vaccines so far: Oxford and AstraZeneca's Covishield (manufactured by Serum Institute of India), Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN, Russia's Sputnik V, Moderna's Spikevax, and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen. Over 9% of India's population has been fully vaccinated, while more than 32% has received at least one dose.
India's tally crosses 3.22 crore; 4.32 lakh dead
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Tuesday morning, India reported a total of 3,22,50,679 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has climbed to 4,32,079. So far, 3,14,48,754 patients have been discharged after recovery, while 3,69,846 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 25,166 new infections, 36,830 more discharges, and 437 fresh fatalities.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
To recall, India's second wave peaked on May 7, when 4.14 lakh single-day cases were reported, over four times the number of cases reported during the first wave in mid-September. Although infections have declined since the second wave peaked, India crossed the three crore-mark on June 23. India had crossed the one crore-mark on December 19, 2020, and the two crore-mark on May 4.
49% new cases concentrated in Kerala
Maharashtra reported 4,145 new COVID-19 cases along with 5,811 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 12,294 new cases and 18,542 discharges. Meanwhile, the third worst-hit Karnataka added 1,065 new cases and 1,486 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 1,851 new cases and 1,911 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 909 new cases and 1,543 recoveries.
3 sub-lineages of Delta+ detected in Maharashtra
Meanwhile, three sub-lineages of the Delta Plus variant have been identified in 66 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra. Scientists have identified 13 sub-lineages of the variant (AY.1, AY.2, AY.3... AY.13). AY.1, AY.3, and AY.2 have been detected in 31, 20, and 10 COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, respectively. However, there is little evidence to indicate that these variants are as transmissible as Delta, the dominant variant.
Bharat Biotech developing nasal booster dose for COVAXIN
Separately, Bharat Biotech is working on a booster nasal vaccine that can be coupled with its COVAXIN two-dose regimen, Chairperson and Managing Director Dr. Krishna Ella has announced. Significant data on this new combination is expected in the coming two months.
