COVID-19: India reports 9K infections; lowest in 9 months
India on Tuesday reported nearly 9,000 new COVID-19 cases, which is the lowest daily tally in the last nine months. The active caseload is 1.30 lakh, the lowest in 525 days. Active cases now account for just 0.38% of the total cases. Correspondingly, the recovery rate was recorded at 98.27%, the highest since March 2020. Meanwhile, India's daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.80%.
Why does this story matter?
India's daily caseload of COVID-19 hitting a nine-month low is a positive sign at this stage of the outbreak. India's weekly positivity rate also remained under 1% for the second consecutive day. Daily infections in India's worst-hit states have also been declining. Most new cases are concentrated in Kerala, which accounts for roughly 50% of the country's active infections.
India's tally crosses 3.44 crore
According to the Union Health Ministry, India reported a total of 3,44,56,401 COVID-19 cases till Tuesday morning. The death toll reached 4,63,852. With 11,971 fresh discharges, India's recoveries stood at 3,38,61,756. In the past 24 hours, 8,865 new cases and 197 fresh fatalities were reported. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 0.97%. It has remained under 2% the last 53 days.
India's second wave peaked on May 7
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 2020. 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 2 crore-mark on May 4, 2021
Kerala adds most new cases
Maharashtra reported 686 new COVID-19 cases along with 912 more recoveries. Kerala, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 4,547 new cases and 6,866 discharges. The third worst-hit Karnataka added 171 new cases and 255 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 802 new cases and 918 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 117 new cases and 241 recoveries.
Over 113 crore vaccine doses administered
Till 3 pm on Tuesday, India had administered over 113.3 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses. Overall, over 37.7 crore people have been fully vaccinated, while over 75.6 crore people have received at least one dose. On Tuesday alone, India administered over 48.2 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses till 3 pm, including over 34.3 lakh second doses, and roughly 13.9 lakh first doses, according to CoWIN.
Job loss over COVAXIN jab? Court hears plea
The Kerala High Court Tuesday questioned the government's responsibility for loss of employment due to state-sponsored vaccinations. The court was hearing a man's plea requesting another dose of an internationally-recognized vaccine so he could resume work in Saudi Arabia. The petitioner was inoculated with COVAXIN, which remains unapproved in Gulf nations. Losing employment would be an infringement of his Fundamental Rights, the court observed.
