Coronavirus: 43,393 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In India, 5.4% Lower Than Yesterday

The daily positivity rate - number of positive cases identified per 100 -  is 2.42 per cent, less than 3 per cent for 18 straight days. Recovery Rate is at 97.19 per cent.

The country reported 911 deaths over the last 24 hours, higher than yesterday's 817, while total deaths stand at 4,05,939.

36.89 crore vaccine doses have been administered since the nationwide vaccination drive began.

Kerala leads the states in most number of infections over a 24-hour period. Amid a surge in Covid cases, a central team visiting Kerala has expressed satisfaction over the mitigation methods implemented in the state.

Overall, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state. It is followed by Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.

At least 64 per cent of the districts in India with over 10 per cent COVID-19 positivity rate are from the eight states in the northeast region, the Health Ministry has said. Of these, Arunachal Pradesh with 18 districts tops the list.

Vaccination for children will start by September with the Zydus vaccine for 12 to 18-year-olds, Dr NK Arora, who heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, has told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The emergency use authorisation for the Zydus vaccine will come within weeks, he added.

The centre on Thursday announced a new emergency response package worth Rs 23,123 crore to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The package will help set up paediatrics departments in 736 districts, 20,000 new ICU beds and acquire buffer stocks of medicines.

There should be no space for carelessness or complacency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his revamped council of ministers, adding that many countries are witnessing a spike in cases and the virus is also mutating. The Prime Minister expressed concern at the consistently high number of Covid cases being reported in Maharashtra and Kerala.

Delhi inaugurated its second genome-sequencing laboratory at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) that willl help detect new variants of coronavirus and ascertain their severity. Genome sequencing facility will help Delhi perform continuous virological surveillance for COVID-19 virus and track the development of any new viral variant in the future.