New Delhi:
The COVID-19 situation in India continues to deteriorate, as the country yet again reported the highest single-day spike of coronavirus cases with over 2.73 lakh fresh infections and 1,619 deaths in the last 24 hours.
According to the Health Ministry, India reported at least 2,73,810 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of positive cases in the country to 1,50,61,919. There are currently 19,29,329 active cases in the country as of Monday.
The death toll reached 1,78,769 with additional 1,619 fatalities. In the last 24 hours, as many as 1,44,178 people recovered from the virus. With this, the total number of recoveries reached 1,29,53,821 in India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair an important meeting on the COVID-19 situation at 11:30 am on Monday, officials said. The meeting comes amid a massive surge in coronavirus cases across the country, with several chief ministers complaining of a shortage of essentials like oxygen supply and medicines like Remdesivir, and seeking the Centre's intervention.
Modi has been holding regular meetings to deal with the emerging pandemic situation. India's total tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the 1.50-crore mark with a record single-day rise of 2,73,810, while the active cases surpassed the 19-lakh mark, according to the latest Union Health Ministry data.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 13,56,133 samples were tested on Sunday. A total of 26,78,94,549 samples have been tested so far. Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the country stands at 12,38,52,566.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus in the country on April 12. Now, India has three vaccines Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V for its inoculation programme against COVID-19. From April 2, the government started vaccinating all people above 45 years.
India 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 were administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities.