India has reported over 3.17 crore COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began (File)
30,549 new Covid cases and 422 deaths were reported in India in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Tuesday morning - a drop of 24 per cent from the 40,134 cases reported yesterday. 16.4 lakh tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.
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This is the first time in the past seven days that daily new cases have dipped below the 40,000-mark. The national active caseload dropped to 4.05 lakh after 38,887 people recovered in 24 hours. Active cases constitute 1.28 per cent of total cases.
Daily and weekly positivity rates remain below the danger level of five per cent - 1.85 per cent and 2.39 per cent, respectively. What is worrying, though, is the 'R' factor, or rate of reproduction of the virus, which is still above the 1.0 mark amid warnings of a third wave.
AIIMS (Delhi) chief Dr Randeep Guleria told NDTV on Sunday the steady increase in the 'R' value is cause for concern; it has gone from 0.87 four weeks ago to 1.01 today. Dr Guleria called for aggressive containment in areas witnessing a surge in infections.
Kerala - which has taken over Maharashtra's unwanted crown of 'worst-affected state' - reported 13,984 cases and 118 deaths in 24 hours. This is a significant drop from the more than 20,000 new cases reported in each of the past six days.
Last week Kerala Health Minister Veena George told NDTV "the situation is absolutely under control". Ms George cited low occupancy rates in hospitals and use of medical oxygen and said she is focused on ensuring maximum vaccination.
Maharashtra - which had over seven lakh active cases at the peak of the second wave - reported only 4,869 cases and 90 deaths in 24 hours. Active cases in the state are now only 78,700. The state has eased restrictions in several districts and allowed malls, gymnasiums and salons to open. This will not apply to 11 districts - including Pune, Ratnagiri and Ahmednagar - where the caseload remains high.
According to data available this morning, apart from Maharashtra and Kerala, only five states reported over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours. These are Karnataka (1,285), Tamil Nadu (1,957), Andhra Pradesh (1,546), Odisha (1,032) and Assam (1,275). Between them they also reported 153 Covid-related deaths in that period.
National capital Delhi - which reported just 51 cases in 24 hours - is considering re-opening schools and colleges, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said yesterday. Mr Sisodia said around 35,000 responses had been received to a survey and that it seems people want educational institutions to re-open, but with strict protocols in place.
Around 47.9 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far, with 61.09 lakh in the past 24 hours. Over the past seven days an average of 47 lakh doses have been administered per day. However, to meet the target of vaccinating 60 per cent of the population by end-2021, that figure needs to be an estimated 97 lakh doses per day.
Vaccine supply remains a problem for the government, particularly since US-based vaccine makers' insistence on indemnity and liability clauses, is slowing down their entry to this market. Another foreign manufacturer - Johnson & Johnson - has withdrawn approval request for local trials, although it is still in talks with the government.
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