News Analysis India

Tag: COVID 19 Cases in India

  • India adds 9,283 new cases in 24 hours; active tally in lowest in 537 days

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India added 9,283 new coronavirus infections taking the country’s total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,45,35,763 while the active cases declined to 1,11,481, the lowest in 537 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

    The death toll climbed to 4,66,584 with 437 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

    The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 47 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 150 consecutive days now.

    The active cases comprise 0.32 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.33 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

    India reported 9,283 new #COVID19 cases, 10,949 recoveries & 437 deaths in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @ashokkumar_TNIE pic.twitter.com/zuxBrey9a5
    — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) November 24, 2021
    A decrease of 2,103 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 2,887 more Covid fatalities; active cases below 20 lakh for third straight day

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: With 1,34,154 fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally has climbed to 2,84,41,986, while the daily positivity rate has further dropped to 6.21 per cent, the health ministry said on Thursday.

    The death toll due to the viral disease has climbed to 3,37,989 with 2,887 more people succumbing to it, while the number of active COVID-19 cases was recorded below 20 lakh for the third consecutive day, according to the ministry’s data updated at 8 am.

    Also, 21,59,873 tests were conducted on Wednesday to detect COVID-19, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 35,37,82,648, while the daily positivity was recorded at 6.21 per cent.

    It has been less than 10 per cent for 10 consecutive days now, the ministry said.

    The weekly positivity rate has declined to 7.66 per cent.

    The number of active cases has reduced to 17,13,413, accounting for 6.02 per cent of the total number of cases, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 92.79 per cent.

    A net decline of 80,232 cases was recorded in the COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said.

    Recoveries continued to outnumber the fresh cases for the 21st day in a row.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 2,63,90,584, while the case fatality rate has gone up to 1.19 per cent, the data showed.

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

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

    The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore coronavirus cases on May 4 this year.

    ALSO WATCH:

  • Four Congress-ruled states express inability to vaccinate for 18-45 group, say Centre hijacked stocks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Fours states ruled by the Congress and its allies Sunday accused the Centre of “hijacking” vaccine stocks from manufacturers, and expressed doubts they would be able to launch the inoculation drive to cover those between 18-45 years of age from May 1.

    They also accused the Centre of meting out “step-motherly” treatment to them, and urged the Union government to provide them free vaccine doses to vaccinate all adults.

    Addressing a virtual joint press conference, the health ministers of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jharkhand (ruled by Congress-JMM alliance) asked as to how they will vaccinate all adults when the Centre has already “taken away the stocks” and shots are not available to them.

    ALSO READ: Registration on CoWIN must for those between 18 and 45 years to get vaccine shot

    They said they are prepared for the next phase of vaccination drive from May 1, but the manufacturers have expressed inability to provide them vaccine shots.

    “How do we vaccinate adults of 18-45 years as Serum Institute has said they will not be able to provide vaccine till May 15,” Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma said.

    “We have the capacity, but not the vaccine,”he said.

    “States should get the supplies. The Government of India should provide vaccine as per their requirements.” The success of the drive depends on availability of shots, he said.

    Sharma said, “Our demand is that the Centre fully fund the vaccine. How can we fund it from our budget? No provision has been made by us in the budget.” Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo said, “There is no way shots can be administered if the vaccine is not available.

    How will we provide vaccination? We are ready to vaccinate, provided we have the vaccines.

    ” He also alleged politics is being played on vaccination the way prime minister’s photo is put on the certificate of vaccination.

    “The country is being misguided.

    The Centre has made a joke of this,” he said.

    Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said, “We are being meted out step-motherly treatment.

    The Centre should provide the vaccine and essential life-saving medicines.

    ” “If the Centre does not support us, how can we roll out the vaccination drive? We are only hand-to-mouth on vaccines.

    The Centre should allot the vaccine and provide it to us,” Sidhu said.

    Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta alleged the prime minister is trying to derive political advantage even during this raging pandemic.

    “Step-motherly treatment is being meted out to Congress-ruled states like us.

    The prime minister is politicising everything and we have to fight a dual battle of saving people from coronavirus and fighting politics,” he said.

    “The Centre has hijacked their production capacity (manufacturers’) and struck a deal for Rs 150 per dose.

    The government that talks of one constitution, one tax, are now trying to derive benefits out of pandemic by different pricing of vaccines,” he said.

    “How will we launch (the next phase of vaccination drive), when vaccine makers do not have vaccines, (and) how will they provide us supplies.

    People will ask us to vaccinate, we have set up vaccination centres,” he said, adding the Centre should allow them to purchase Remdesivir from Bangladesh, which is not being allowed.

    “On one side, we are being bound, on the other hand, an impression is being created that there is decentralisation of power to states,” he alleged.

    The Centre last Monday announced its liberalised vaccination policy, making all adults eligible for Covid19 vaccine from May 1 and has asked states to procure vaccines from makers of their own.

  • Defence ministry decides to airlift 23 oxygen generation plants from Germany

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has decided to airlift 23 mobile oxygen generating plants from Germany as several states reeled under an acute shortage of medical oxygen due to a massive surge in coronavirus cases, officials said Friday.

    They said each plant will have a capacity to produce 40 litres of oxygen per minute and 2,400 litres every hour.

    Principal Spokesperson in the Defence Ministry A Bharat Bhushan Babu said the plants will be deployed in the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.

    The decision by the ministry came four days after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced granting emergency financial powers to the three services and other defence agencies to make necessary procurement to enhance medical infrastructure in view of the pandemic.

    “Twenty-three mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. These will be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to the COVID patients,” Babu said.

    He said the oxygen generating plants are expected to be airlifted within a week.

    Another official said the Indian Air Force has been told to remain ready to keep its transport aircraft ready to bring the plants from Germany once required paper works are completed.

    The official said more oxygen generation plants may be procured from abroad.

    “The advantage of these plants is that they are easily portable,” said Babu.

    India is struggling with a second wave of coronavirus infection and hospitals in several states are reeling under shortage of medical oxygen and beds in view of rising COVID-19 cases.

    India recorded a one-day tally of 3.32 lakh new coronavirus cases and  2,263 new fatalities, according to official data released on Friday.

  • Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slams CBSE over exam plans amid COVID-19 spike in India

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for holding exams amid the COVID-19 spike in the country and said the exams should either be cancelled or rescheduled.

    “It is downright irresponsible of boards like the CBSE to force students to sit for exams under the prevailing circumstances. Board exams should either be cancelled, rescheduled or arranged in a manner that does not require the physical presence of children at crowded exam centres,” tweeted Gandhi.

    Further taking a dig at the government she said our education system needs to drastically alter its attitude and start reflecting sensitivity and compassion towards children rather than just talk about it at their conclaves and conferences.

    “While corona is ravaging our country again, the added pressure of exams is bound to affect the mental health of children. Our education system needs to drastically alter its attitude and start reflecting sensitivity and compassion towards children rather than just talk about it at their conclaves and conferences,” she added.

    On December 31, the Education Ministry announced examination dates for Class 10th and 12th CBSE students to be held from May 4 to June 10 and results for both to be declared by July 15, 2021.

    Every year, the Board exams used to begin from the month of February-March and the results were declared by the month of May. This year, the academic year started late due to the COVID-19 pandemic and classes were held online.

    Meanwhile, India today registered a record single-day spike of 1.31 lakh new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 1,30,60,542.

    According to the Union Health Ministry, the country recorded 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this fresh surge, the total number of infections has reached 1,30,60,542.  

  • Maharashtra’s single-day Covid-19 count crosses 23,000-mark, highest in 2021 so far

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra reported as many as 23,179 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, which is the highest single-day infection count so far in 2021, a health official said.

    This is the sixth highest one-day spike of infection cases in the state since the pandemic began last year.

    With these new cases, Maharashtra’s overall infection count rose to 23,70,507, the official said.

    The state had reported its first COVID-19 case in March last year.

    The daily number of cases had started rising gradually and in September last year, more than one lakh

    The daily number of cases had started rising gradually and in September last year, more than one lakh cases were added in Maharashtra within a span of merely a week.

    ALSO READ | India may be heading towards second Covid peak, smaller cities to be worst-hit this time: Centre

    On September 11 last year, the state had reported 24,886 cases, while on September 17, a total of 24,619 cases were added.

    The third, fourth and fifth highest figures were reported on September 9 (23,816), September 6 (23,350) and September 10 (23,446).

    The number of new single-day cases started gradually going down by the end of last year, although the count started witnessing an upward trend once against from mid-February this year.

    With 84 deaths reported on Wednesday, the state’s fatality count jumped to 53,080, the official said.

    As many as 9,138 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, taking the recovery count to 21,63,391.

    There are 1,52,760 active cases in the state at present.

    ALSO WATCH:

    Nagpur city reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases during the day with 2,698, followed by 2,612 in Pune and 2,377 in Mumbai city.

    Pune division, which comprises civic bodies of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, as well as districts including Pune, Solapur and Satara, reported 5,268 cases during the day, which is the highest for the day across all the divisions in the state.

    Mumbai’s COVID-19 tally increased to 3,49,974 and eight deaths took the fatality count to 11,551.

    Mumbai division reported 4,811 new cases and 21 deaths, which pushed its overall caseload to 7,71,389 and death toll to 19,995.

    Nashik division has so far reported at 3,27,190 cases and 5,399 deaths, Pune division 5,71,786 cases and 11,887 deaths, Kolhapur division 1,21,608 cases and 4,092 deaths, Aurangabad division 95,053 cases and 2,127 deaths, Latur division 94,462 cases and 2,576 deaths, Akola division 1,23,095 cases and 1,941 deaths, Nagpur division 2,64,778 cases and 4,971 deaths.

    With 1,19,973 COVID-19 tests carried out on Wednesday, the overall test count rose to 1,78,35,495.

    There are 6,71,620 people in home quarantine while 6,738 are in institutional quarantine.

    Maharashtra’s COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 23,70,507, new cases: 23,179, death toll: 53,080, discharged: 21,63,391, active cases: 1,52,760, people tested so far: 1,78,35,495.