News Analysis India

Tag: coronavirus cases

  • India adds 9,765 new coronavirus cases, active infections near one lakh mark

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With 9,765 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,46,06,541, while the active cases increased to 99,763, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

    The death toll climbed to 4,69,724 with 477 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been less than 50,000 for 158 consecutive days now.

    9,765 new #COVID19 cases, 477 deaths and 8,548 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @PulickalVincent pic.twitter.com/Zdb1oTS1On
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) December 2, 2021
    The active cases comprise 0.29 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.35 per cent, the ministry said.

    An increase of 740 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

  • India records 50,040 new COVID-19 cases, 1,258 deaths in a day

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A single-day rise of 50,040 fresh COVID-19 infections took India’s tally to 3,02,33,183 while the number of active cases reduced to 5,86,403, according to Union Health Ministry data on Sunday.

    The death toll climbed to 3,95,751 with 1,258 more people succumbing to the viral disease in a day.

    The number of active cases has further declined to 5,86,403 and now comprises 1.94 per cent of the total infections, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    Recoveries outnumbered daily new cases of COVID-19 for the 45th consecutive day with the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surging to 2,92,51,029.

    The case fatality rate stood at 1.31 per cent.

    While the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.75 per cent, the weekly case positivity rate has come down to 2.91 per cent.

    According to the Health Ministry data, the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.82 per cent.

    It has been less than 5 per cent for 20 consecutive days.

    India administered 64.25 lakh vaccine doses in a day, taking the cumulative number of jabs given so far under the nationwide inoculation drive to 32.17 crore, according to immunisation data published at 7 am.

    Also, 17,45,809 tests were conducted on Friday for the detection of COVID-19, taking the total number of tests conducted so far in the country to 40,18,11,892.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore total COVID-19 cases on May 4 this year and three crore on June 23.

  • After swift decline, daily new Covid-19 cases on the rise again

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  After a swift decline in Covid-19 cases over nearly a month and a half, daily numbers in India again seem to be slightly rising over the last two days. Experts, however, say that this is too early to see a pattern and the numbers need to be watched for the coming few days to reach a conclusion.

    On Wednesday, 54,069 new cases were reported in the country. On Tuesday, this was 50,848. In comparison, on Sunday 42,640 fresh cases were registered, the lowest single day tally in nearly three months. The weekly rolling average of Covid test positivity rate, on the other hand, was 3.2% on Sunday and 3.1% on both Tuesday and Wednesday. 

    While about 54,000 cases reported on Wednesday are still lower than the cases recorded on various days last week, the concern is that the last two days so far are occasions when the cases have risen in comparison to previous days.

    In Maharashtra, total cases reported on Wednesday were 10,066 the highest since June 17. In Kerala, which is leading the states in daily infections, 12,787 cases were recorded, also highest since June 17.These two states are among the five so far, apart from Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where the Delta Plus variant, which has been associated with immune evasion, has been detected in limited numbers of samples.

    Some experts cautioned that while the pandemic has been on a downward trajectory for a while, signs like this should be taken seriously, in the context of new information. “Given that the slight increase in cases is from states that saw early rises in previous surges, it would be prudent to be prepared and ensure optimal testing to be able detect simillar transmission signals across the country,” said public health researcher Oommen John. 

    Health systems and public policy specialist Chandrakant Lahariya, on the other hand, said it should be seen as a normal pattern. “We need to remember that in a pandemic, especially when we know that the virus is still around and circulating, it is unlikely that cases would decline every single day,” he said, adding that the country has reached a stage when weekly rolling average of new daily Covid-19 cases would stabilize gradually. 

    Fall unlikely to be steady and uniformHealth systems and public policy specialist Chandrakant Lahariya thinks cases will not keep declining rapidly. “Now onwards, the decline would be relatively slower and we may see a few days when cases would go up and a few days when cases go down,” Lahariya said, while pointing out that at this stage, the key would be to focus on the districts concerned rather than national and even state averages. 

  • India records 54,069 new cases of COVID-19, 1,321 deaths in a day

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India reported 54,069 new cases of COVID-19 in a day which took the infection tally to 3,00,82,778 while 1,321 more fatalities pushed the death toll to 3,91,981, according to the Union Health Ministry data on Thursday.

    The number of active cases has declined to 6,27,057 and is 2.08 per cent of the total infections.

    The national COVID-19 recovery rate has also improved to 96.61 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    A net decline of 16,137 cases in the COVID-19 caseload has been recorded in a day.

    According to the inoculation data published at 7 am, India administered 64.89 lakh vaccine doses in a day taking the cumulative number of jabs given so far to 30.16 crore.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.91 per cent.

    It has been less than 5 per cent for 17 days in a row.

    The weekly positivity rate has also declined to 3.04 per cent, the ministry said.

    Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 42nd consecutive day.

    The number of people who have recuperated from COVID-19 surged to 2,90,63,740, while the case fatality rate was at 1.30 per cent, it said.

    On Wednesday, 18,59,469 tests were conducted in the country for the detection of COVID-19, taking the total number of tests carried out so far to 39,78,32,667.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    The country crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore total COVID-19 cases on May 4 this year and 3 crore on June 23.

  • India records 2.57 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases, 4,194 fatalities 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The daily rise in coronavirus cases in India remained below the 3 lakh-mark for the sixth consecutive day, with 2.57 lakh new cases recorded in a single day, the Union health ministry said on Saturday.

    With the fresh cases, India’s tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,62,89,290.

    The death toll due to the disease rose to 2,95,525 with 4,194 fresh fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

    The active cases further reduced to 29,23,400 comprising 11.12 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 87.76 per cent.

    India reported 2,57,299 new #COVID19 cases, 3,57,630 discharges & 4,194 deaths in last 24 hours: Union Health Ministry.Express Photo | @Ravindra_TNIE pic.twitter.com/zxE9It2LrM
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) May 22, 2021

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease in the country surged to 2,30,70,365, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.12 per cent, the data stated.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on August 7 last, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year.

    India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4 this year.

    According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 32,64,84,155 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to May 21 with 20,66,285 samples tested on Friday.

  • J&K reports more than 72,000 Covid cases, 963 deaths in 18 days this month

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR:  J&K has recorded over 72,000 Covid cases and 963 deaths in 18 days of this month, which accounts for 28.58% of the total cases and 29.24% of total deaths in the UT since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

    The summer capital Srinagar accounts for 20.33% of the new cases in May while Jammu district accounts for 38% of deaths in the Union Territory this month. From May 1 to 18, J&K’s Covid tally increased from 1,79,915 to 2,51,919. In eight days, J&K’s Covid tally increased by 72,004 cases. It accounts for 28.58% of total cases in J&K since the outbreak of Covid last year.

    The tally of active cases increased from 30,343 on May 1 to 50,925 on May 18. The Jammu region accounted for 9,849 cases and Kashmir, 10733 cases. In 18 days of May, 963 people in J&K died of Covid. Of them, 613 died in the Jammu region and 350 in Kashmir. The deaths in May so far account for 29.24% of the total deaths in J&K due to Covid since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

    The twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu have been the worst-hit district due to Covid. In the first 18 days of May, cases in Srinagar increased by 14,699 and the tally stood at 59,191. Srinagar, which is the summer capital of J&K, witnessed 20.33% of the total cases recorded in J&K in 18 days of May.

    In Srinagar, 155 persons have died of Covid in the last 18 days. It means Srinagar has accounted for 16% of the total deaths in J&K from May 1-18. Jammu, which is the winter capital of J&K, recorded 10,234 cases in the first 18 days of May. It accounts for 14.21% of new cases in J&K this month.

    Jammu accounts for 38% of fatalities Jammu recorded 366 of the 963 deaths due to Covid-19 in J&K this month so far. Jammu district accounts for 38% of the total deaths in the Union Territory this month 

  • Rural COVID-19 caseload spurt is a big healthcare challenge

    By Express News Service
    If metros and big cities bore the brunt of the first wave of Covid-19 last year, the second wave seems to be choking rural India in a way not seen before. According to a recent SBI report, the share of rural districts in new cases has been steadily increasing – from 36.8% in March to 45.5% in April and 48.5% in May. Alarmingly, the fatality rate in interior regions is also high owing to lack of easy access to medical care, shortage of life-saving drugs, and lack of awareness, among other reasons. 

    In Punjab, for example, 46% of the active coronavirus cases are from rural areas. Data show that interior regions account for 55% of the overall Covid deaths in the state. During May 1-15, as many as 55,411 cases were reported from Punjab’s 16 rural districts while the total infections in the state were 1,20,723. Out of 2,618 deaths in Punjab during the period, 1,434 were from rural areas. 

    Likewise, 43% of Haryana’s Covid cases were from rural areas in the first two weeks of May. Also, 62% of the Covid deaths were from the 15 predominantly rural districts of the state. During May 1-15, as many as 84,242 cases were reported from these districts, while the total cases across the state stood at 1,97,334. In terms of deaths, the figure is 1,456 from rural areas out of the state’s total of 2,330. 

    Bihar has a peculiar problem. Nearly 89% of the state’s 13.12 crore population live in its 45,103 villages. In the second Covid wave, 76% of the total cases in the state are from rural areas. According to sources, at least 50% of the population in remote districts like Jamui, Aurangabad, Muzaffarpur, etc could be infected. “The actual degree of rural spread could be much higher, as access and willingness for testing is limited,” said Dr Vikash R Keshri, a health policy expert.

    Covid-19 is surging ahead in rural Bengal, too, with health department officials conceding that the situation in at least 18 districts is grim. For example, West Midnapore recorded 268 cases on May 1. The count went up to 653 on May 7 and 829 on May 15. Similarly, 74 new cases were recorded on May 1 in Jhargram. It jumped to 124 on May 8 and to 178 on May 15. 

    In Andhra, while rural areas have been reporting more Covid-19 cases than urban regions, interior areas seem to have a slightly lesser fatality rate. According to data for April, the case load was higher in rural areas compared to urban. Of the 1.46 lakh cases reported, 56% of them, accounting for 81,365 cases, were in rural areas while the urban areas accounted for 44%. Explaining the reason, Principal Secretary (Health) Anil Kumar Singhal said the enforcement of partial curfew or restrictions would be more effective in urban areas and cities but not so in hinterlands. 

    Rural areas of Telangana resisting Covid tests

    In Telangana, the highest caseload in the last one month was reported from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Rangareddy, and Medchal districts. These three districts, with infections over 10,000 each, have the highest urban population in the state. However, the situation in districts with tier-2 cities and small towns remained a matter of concern. “There is staunch resistance to even get a Covid-19 test done due to stigma and fear of eventuality,” said Sreeharsha Thanneru of Rythu Swarajya Vedika, which is working extensively to provide relief to rural pockets of the state.

    He observed that in many villages and small towns the vaccine acceptance was also poor. In Karnataka, while Bengaluru and other urban centres are showing some signs of improvement in Covid-19 situation, rural areas continue to suffer. Although there is no shocking increase in the number of fresh cases yet in the rural areas, experts say inter-district travellers moving to their native places in the rural areas may be carrying the infection and spreading it there.

    In Kerala, where the rural-urban divide is not so well defined, the Covid-19 spread has been more or less uniform across the state with areas with higher population density reporting higher number of cases. “In Kerala, cities where most people reside like Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram have more Covid cases as compared to the interior parts of the districts,” said Dr Praveen G S, an epidemiologist. According to Rijo M John, a health economist, the state has a good network of primary health centres across the rural areas, which has been doing testing and providing primary care to Covid patients. The infection spread in rural Odisha is fast and furious.

    Hundreds of miles away from the urban localities, the virus has reached the particularly vulnerable tribal groups – Bondas and Dongria Kondhs who were relatively untouched in the first wave. Health department sources said overall 58% Covid infections in the state are from the rural hinterlands. In Madhya Pradesh, the situation in some rural districts especially those bordering Uttar Pradesh is alarming with daily spike staying in three digits.

    In Chhattisgarh, on any given day in May, the number of new cases in urban regions was less than half of what was reported from rural areas. On May 1, rural positive cases were 10,204 while urban areas reported 5,695. On May 15, the figure decreased to 5,506 in rural and 2,158 in urban zones.

  • 10 states, including Maharashtra and UP, account for nearly 80 per cent of new COVID-19 cases

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Ten states comprising Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have shown a steep rise in daily new COVID-19 cases accounting for 79.10 per cent of the new infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

    India’s daily new cases continue to climb as a record 2,17,353 new infections have been registered in a span of 24 hours.

    Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 61,695.

    It is followed by Uttar Pradesh with 22,339 while Delhi reported 16,699 new cases.

    India’s total active cases has increased to 15,69,743 and now comprises 10.98 per cent of the country’s total infections.

    A net increase of 97,866 cases have been recorded in the total active case tally in a span of 24 hours.

    Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala cumulatively account for 65.86 per cent of India’s total active cases.

    Maharashtra alone accounts for 39.60 per cent of the total active cases in the country, the ministry said.

    Sixteen states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Kerala, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal — are displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases.

    India’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,25,47,866 with 1,18,302 recoveries being registered in a span of 24 hours.

    Besides, 1,185 deaths were reported in a day.

    Ten states account for 85.40 per cent of the new deaths.

    Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties with 349 followed by Chhattisgarh with 135 daily deaths.

    Ten states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

    These are Ladakh, Tripura, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

    On the other hand, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 11.72 crore as part of the world’s largest coronavirus vaccination drive.

    Cumulatively, 11,72,23,509 vaccine doses have been administered through 17,37,539 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am.

    These include 90,82,999 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 56,34,634 HCWs who have taken the second dose, 1,02,93,524 frontline workers (FLWs) who have received the first dose and 51,52,891 FLWs who have taken the second dose.

    Besides, 4,42,30,842 and 30,97,961 beneficiaries above the age of 60 years have taken their first and second doses, respectively, while 3,87,41,890 and 98,876 beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 have taken the first and second doses, respectively.

    Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala account for 59.63 per cent of the total doses inoculated so far in the country.

    Over 27 lakh vaccination doses were administered in a span of 24 hours.

    On the 90th day of the vaccination drive (April 15, 2021), 27,30,359 vaccine doses were given.

    Out of these, 21,70,144 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 39,280 sessions for their first dose and 5,60,215 beneficiaries received the second dose of the vaccine.

  • Coronavirus cases count in IIM-Ahmedabad rises to 45 over last two weeks

    By PTI
    AHMEDABAD: Five more people have tested positive for coronavirus at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), taking the number of the infected students, faculty and staff to 45 over the last two weeks, the institute said on Sunday.

    Out of these 45 people who have tested positive for coronavirus since March 12, 44 are currently in quarantine, it said.

    These 44 people include 31 students, a faculty member, and 12 staff members and others, as per the COVID-19 dashboard of the IIM-A.

    With the five additions, the total number of the infected people at the IIM-A reached 172 since September 8, 2020, it said.

    The COVID-19 cases started surging at the IIM-A from the second week of March after a student tested positive on its campus after a gap of nearly a month.

    Within ten days, ten more people tested positive, and the number went up to 46 by March 27, it said.

    In the last 208 days, the institute had conducted 3,792 tests- both the rapid antigen and RT-PCR- for detection of coronavirus.

    A senior official said most of the cases at the IIM-A are asymptomatic.

    Visits to the campus are restricted and those coming to stay with the students or faculty from outside the campus are required to submit a self-declaration form and stay quarantined for a stipulatedtime, he said.

    “We have crested an isolation dorm for positive persons.

    We are doing testing after contact tracing.

    We also carried outvaccination for most of our employees,” said CAO, IIM-A, Manoj Bhatt.

    Ahmedabad city is seeing a huge surge in coronavirus positive cases, reporting 601 new infections on Saturday, which took the overall tally to 65,377.

    The city now has 1,694 active cases, as per the civic body.

    Besides the IIIM-A, the Gandhinagar campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has also seen a rise in infections.

     

  • Spike in fresh COVID-19 cases, India records 62,714 new infections

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: India saw 62,714 new coronavirus infections in a day, the highest single day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,19,71,624, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

    Registering a steady increase for the 18th day in row, the active cases have increased to 4,86,310 comprising 4.06 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 94.58 per cent, the data stated.

    The 62,714 new cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, the highest since October 16, 2020, while the death toll increased to 1,61,552 with 312 daily new fatalities, the highest in around three months, the data updated at 8 am showed.

    The daily death toll of 312 is the highest since December 25, 2020 when 336 new deaths were reported.

    As many as 63,371 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on October 16.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,13,23,762, while the case fatality rate stood at  1.35 per cent, the data stated.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past  60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

    According to the ICMR, 24,09,50,842 samples have been tested up to March 27 with 11,81,289 samples being tested on Saturday.