New Delhi:
With a total of 68,020 new coronavirus cases reported in the last 24 hours, India has reported on Monday its worst single-day increase in COVID-19 cases since October, taking the tally to more than 12 million for the first time ever.
It was the highest daily rise since Oct. 11, according to a Reuters tally.India’s overall caseload of 12.04 million – the world’s biggest outside the United States and Brazil – had been falling steadily since a peak in late September, but increased public gatherings and travel are causing a spurt at a time when a majority of Indians are yet to be vaccinated.
India has been reporting a spike in cases – above the 60,000 mark – for three consecutive days, though Monday’s rise was still below September’s peak of more than 90,000 cases a day.
Daily deaths rose by 291 on Monday and the virus has so far killed 161,843 people in the country.
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh have reported a high number of daily new COVID-19 cases and they account for 84.5 per cent of the new infections reported in the last 24 hours, the health ministry informed. .
According to the health ministry, India registered 68,020 new cases in the last 24 hours, out of which Maharashtra reported the highest daily new cases at 40,414, followed by Karnataka with 3,082 while Punjab reported 2,870 new cases.
"India's total active caseload has reached 5,21,808 today. India's present active caseload now stands at 4.33 per cent of India's total positive cases. A net incline of 35,498 cases recorded from the total active caseload in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.
The five states — Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh — cumulatively account for 80.17 per cent of the total active cases in the country.
"Seventeen states and UTs have lower cases per million than the national average (8,724) and nineteen states and UTs have a higher case per million than the national average," it said.
India's cumulative recoveries stand at 1,13,55,993 today with 32,231 recoveries being registered in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said. The national recovery rate is 94.32 per cent.
Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of single-day recoveries with 17,874 newly recovered cases.
Seven states account for 81.79 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (108). Punjab follows with 69 daily deaths.
Eighteen states and UTs have lower deaths per million than the national average (117).
Similarly, eighteen states and UTs have higher deaths per million than the national average.
Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Ladakh (UT), Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
On the other hand, the total vaccination coverage in India has crossed 6 crores.
Eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far in India.
As on Day-72 of the vaccination drive, total 2,60,653 vaccine doses were given. Out of which, 2,18,798 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 7,465 sessions for first dose and 41,855 HCWs and FLWs received the second dose of vaccine.
The country started its vaccination drive on January 16 with priority given to all healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. The second phase started on March 1 where doses are being administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities. From Ap
Aril 1, the government has decided to vaccinate all above 45 years.
Maharashtra
India’s richest state, Maharashtra, is considering imposing a strict lockdown this week after recording the highest one-day jump in coronavirus infections of any Indian state since last March, officials said on Sunday.Maharashtra tightened travel restrictions and imposed night curfews as it reported 40,414 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, almost two-thirds of the national total, many of them in the densely-populated financial capital Mumbai.
“In (Sunday’s) meeting of the (COVID-19) task force, it was suggested that very strict restrictions like lockdown should be imposed immediately,” the office of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said in a statement.
A senior official in the state government said the lockdown could take effect “in the coming days” as officials had been asked to prepare to implement it in a phased manner.
Tamil Nadu
People in the 18-45 age group accounted for 51 per cent of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in Tamil Nadu and were mostly from apartment complexes, state health secretary J Radhakrishnan said on Sunday.The government was focussing on the 'test, track and treat' plan and increased testing of samples to contain the spread, he told reporters after inspecting additional Covid-19 beds at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
J Radhakrishnan said that besides this age group, 42 per cent of those infected were those aged above 45 years.
"Fifty one per cent of people between the age group of 18 and 45 years have tested positive, while 42 per cent were those above the age of 45 years."
He said the issue was that those in the 18-45 age group who have tested positive go back to their homes and spread it to the elderly.
Also, though colleges had been shut, some students had spread it to others, he said.
'Five districts account for most number of infections since March 5'
He said five districts —Chennai, Chengalpet, Coimbatore, Thanjavur and Tiruvarur– accounted for the most number of infections since March 5.