New Delhi, Oct 22 (UNI) India logged 15,786 new cases of COVID-19 and 231 more fatalities in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

Kerala alone contributed more than 50 per cent to the new infections with 8,733 COVID-19 cases recorded on Thursday.

The fresh infections have pushed the tally to 3,41,43,236 while the death toll has risen to 4,53,042, it added.

Meanwhile, the active cases have declined to 1,75,745, the lowest in 232 days.

According to the Ministry, the active cases now comprise 0.51 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the recovery rate is maintained at 98.16%, the highest since March 2020.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 28 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 117 consecutive days now.

Meanwhile, India achieved a significant feat on Thursday as it completed administering 100 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines to eligible people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated every citizen of the country for achieving the momentous feat in his address to the nation on Friday morning.

The Union Health Ministry also informed earlier in the day that more than 11.65 crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses are still available with states and Union Territories.

UNI ASH GK