The survey showed 67.6% of adults were seropositive, while more than 62% of adults were unvaccinated. As of July, just over 8% of eligible adult Indians had received two vaccine doses.

About 400 million of India’s 1.4 billion people did not have antibodies, the survey showed.

“Hospitals have become a large industry now based on human distress. We cannot allow them to prosper at the cost of human lives. Let such hospitals be closed and allow the state to bolster health care facilities. Let not such hospitals operate in buildings with four rooms etc.,” said Justice Chandrachud while noting that a number of hospitals don’t adhere to fire safety norms.

The improvement of the travel advisories for India and Pakistan by the State Department on Monday comes in an acknowledgment of the improving COVID-19 pandemic situation in the region.

Currently, three vaccines — Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Russian vaccine Sputnik V — are being administered in India.

Mucormycosis and other fungal infections are most commonly seen as an opportunistic infection. They are found in those with low underlying immunity either due to a diabetes, cancers particularly hematological malignancies, etc. or as a side effect of prolonged/irrational use of certain drugs like steroids, immunosuppressive drugs for management of other disorders including Covid-19, the minister explained.

The Union Health Ministry has informed that the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered under the nationwide vaccination drive has reached 40,64,81,493. 

“Besides, on invading a human cell, it replicates faster. It leads to a strong inflammatory response in organs like the lungs. However it is difficult to say that disease due to delta variant is more severe. The age profile and the deaths during the second wave in India were quite similar to that seen during first wave,” he stated.