India reports sudden rise in new COVID-19 cases, 45,951 new infections in last 24 hours

New Delhi: India reported 45,951 new infections in the last 24 hours. While there were only 37,566 cases Tuesday, the sudden rise in new Covid cases is a matter of concern. With 817 new fatalities, the total Covid death count is inching closer to the 4-lakh mark.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus in India:

1. India’s active caseload has further declined to 5,37,064. Only 1.77 per cent of total cases are active.
2. Daily recoveries continue to outnumber total cases for the 48th consecutive day. Over 60,000 recoveries in the last 24 hours took the total to over 2.94 lakh. The recovery rate in the country is now at 96.92 per cent.
3. The 817 reported deaths are the lowest in 78 days and the third straight day when the fatality count has remained below 1000.
4. The weekly positivity rate is currently at 2.69 per cent while the daily positivity rate is 2.34 per cent for the 23rd straight day. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Covid positivity rate below 5 per cent to be within the safe zone.
5. 01 crore Covid tests have been conducted and over 33 crore vaccine doses administered since the beginning of the pandemic last year. The government is aiming to vaccinate the entire adult population by the end of the year.
6. Over 36.5 lakh vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours – a sharp drop from the 52.76 lakh shots on Tuesday.
7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed satisfaction at the rate of vaccination in the country and said on Monday that “vaccines for all, free for all” remains the government’s commitment.
8. Restrictions have been eased across the country as the cases drop amid warnings from experts that lifting the lockdown may see a sudden spike in cases again leading to an impending third wave.
9. The Delta Plus variant – a more infectious strain of the coronavirus that has sparked new fears – has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jammu, and Karnataka.
10. Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin effectively neutralises both Alpha and Delta variants of coronavirus, the US’ National Institute of Health said today amid increasing fears over the more transmissible variants.