India recorded 26,382 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, while the national recovery rate stood at over 95 per cent, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry today.
India's coronavirus caseload mounted to 99,32,547 with 26,382 infections being reported in a day, while the deaths rose to 1,44,096 with 387 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am on Wednesday showed.
There are 3,32,002 active coronavirus infections in the country which constitute 3.34 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
The United States on Tuesday authorized its first rapid at-home test for Covid-19, which is available over-the-counter and produces a result in around 20 minutes. The test will sell for around $30 and the company plans to roll out three million units in January 2021, and millions more in subsequent months.
Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of the world's population may not have access to a COVID-19 vaccine until at least 2022, according to a study published in The BMJ today, which warns that vaccines will be as challenging to deliver as they were to develop.
Another study in the same journal estimates that 3.7 billion adults worldwide are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the importance of designing fair and equitable strategies to ensure that supply can meet demand, especially in low and middle income countries.
These findings together suggest that the operational challenges of the global COVID-19 vaccination programme will be at least as difficult as the scientific challenges associated with their development.
