India has reported a total of 20,557 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the overall number of Covid-related infections in the country to 4,39,59,321.
The active COVID-19 cases increased to 1,46,323, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
According to government data, India also reported 44 Covid-related fatalities, taking the total number of deaths to 5,26,211.
The active cases comprise 0.35 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.45 per cent, the ministry said.
Maharashtra on Thursday reported 2,203 new coronavirus positive cases and three fatalities, while its active caseload is 13,665, the state health department said. With this, the state’s overall case tally jumped to 80,41,522, while the death count rose to 1,48,091, it said in a report.
Delhi logged 1,066 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 6.91 per cent along with two fatalities, according to data shared by the health department in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Odisha recorded 1,030 fresh COVID-19 cases and one new fatality today, the health department said.There are now 6,974 active cases, of which 1,510 are in Khurda district and 1,343 in Sundargarh, according to a bulletin.
The test positivity rate was 4.95 per cent as the cases were detected out of 20,813 samples. As many as 179 children were among the new patients.
Sundargarh district reported the highest number of 227 infections, followed by 164 in Khurda and 110 in Mayurbhanj. The death count rose to 9,137 as a 67-year-old man succumbed to the disease in Cuttack. Fifty-three other Covid patients have died due to comorbidities so far.
The state had logged 1,174 cases and one fatality on Wednesday. It added that the infection tally rose to 13,10,115, including 12,93,951 recoveries as 1,066 more people recuperated in the past 24 hours.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 12 new COVID-19 cases today, three more than the previous, pushing the tally to 10,410, a health department official said.
The union territory now has 43 active COVID-19 cases, while 10,238 people have recovered from the disease so far, the official said. The COVID-19 death count in the archipelago remained at 129 as no fresh fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said.
Arunachal Pradesh’s COVID-19 tally rose to 65,598 today, after 85 more people tested positive for the infection, a senior health official said.
The northeastern state on Wednesday had reported 104 new cases, the highest single-day spike this month. The COVID-19 death count remained unchanged at 296, with no new fatality recorded in the last 24 hours, State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Lobsang Jampa said.
The new cases were reported from East Siang (16), Capital Complex Region (11), Lohit (9), Lower Subansiri (7), Changlang (6) five each from Upper Siang, Namsai and Dibang Valley districts respectively, the official said.
Arunachal Pradesh currently has 474 active COVID-19 cases, while 64,828 people have recuperated thus far including, 59 on Wednesday, he said. The COVID-19 recovery rate now is 98.83 per cent, while the active ratio stood is 0.72 per cent, Mr Jampa said.
The Capital Complex Region comprising, Itanagar, Naharlagun, Nirjuli and Banderdewa areas, has the highest number of active cases at 75, followed by Namsai at 65, East Siang (46), Lohit (37) and Lower Subansiri (35).
A total of 12,81,732 samples have been tested for Coronavirus in the state thus far, including 435 on Wednesday, Mr Jampa added.
So far over 17.95 lakh people have been inoculated with Coronavirus vaccines in the state, State Immunisation Officer (SIO) Dimong Padung said.
Assam reported 797 new COVID-19 cases, 111 more than the previous day, pushing the tally to 7,37,104, a National Health Mission (NHM) bulletin said.
One person died due to COVID-19 in Goalpara district in the last 24 hours, the NHM bulletin said on Wednesday. With this, the total number of deaths of COVID-19 infected people rose to 8,015, including 1,347 with co-morbidities, it said.
The state’s positivity rate, however, decreased to 8.46 per cent as 9,424 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the bulletin said. Assam had recorded 686 cases and 9.15 per cent positivity rate on Tuesday.
Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises Guwahati city, reported 48 fresh cases against 34 infections on the previous day. It has recorded a total of 1,59,067 infections so far.
Goalpara district reported 75 new COVID-19 cases, followed by 75 in Sivasagar, 60 in Sonitpur and 45 in Dhemaji, the bulletin said.
Currently, the state has a total of 5,690 active COVID-19 cases, while 7,23,399 people have recovered from the disease so far.
The NHM bulletin said a total of 4,82,41,621 doses of vaccines have been administered. This includes 2,46,15,363 first doses, 2,16,99,361 second doses and 19,26,897 precaution doses.
Meanwhile, a health official is being investigated for vaccinating 30 students with a single syringe in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The incident took place in a school in Sagar district where children were being given Covid-19 vaccines.
India’s health ministry mandates a “one needle, one syringe, only one time” protocol for Covid-19 vaccines.
India has administered over 2.03bn Covid-19 vaccines so far.
Single-use disposable syringes are widely used in India to avoid the spread of deadly diseases like HIV. However, there have been multiple incidents in the past where a single syringe has been reused in hospitals due to a shortage of equipment.
Jitendra Rai, who was vaccinating the children, told the media that he was only given one syringe by the health department and he was just following orders.
Parents who had accompanied their children spotted the issue and reported it to the school authorities.
When state officials reached the school, Mr Rai was missing from the school and his phone was turned off.
The state’s health department has registered a case of negligence against him. Meanwhile, it has also started an inquiry against the official responsible for dispatching equipment for the vaccination drive.
A spokesperson from the opposition Congress party has demanded that the state’s health minister should resign over the incident.
India is the second country after China to have crossed the two-billion Covid vaccines mark. In July, the government announced a 75-day free Covid booster dose programme for all adults to mark India’s 75th independence anniversary.
According to India’s health ministry, 98% of adults have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, while 90% have been fully vaccinated.
Read more┬аHealth News
