56 people who had come in contact with the positive cases have been quarantined (File)
Lakshadweep, the country's smallest Union Territory, which until Sunday hadn't reported any coronavirus cases, has now logged a total of 15 positive cases, prompting the centre to send a multi-disciplinary team to assist the local administration in its containment efforts.
According to the Union Health Ministry, a traveller, who had arrived at the Union Territory on January 4 from Kochi by a ship, tested positive on Monday. 31 people who had come in direct contact with the man were traced and quarantined; 14 out of them have tested positive.
As of now, 56 people, who had come in contact with the Covid positive people, have been quarantined in the Union Territory.
Alarmed with the surge in cases that came at a time when the overall coronavirus figures in the country are showing a downward trend, the centre sent a team comprising experts from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry; National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune and Regional Office of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
India, which had reported nearly one lakh daily cases for weeks last year, logged just over 10,000 cases on Tuesday. The world's second worst-hit country has reported a total of 1.05 crore cases so far.
The Health Ministry, highlighting the gains made by the country in its fight against the coronavirus on Tuesday, said the number of active cases has dropped below the 2-lakh mark.
On January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the world's biggest vaccine drive against the virus in the country. Over 1.77 lakh people were vaccinated against the coronavirus on the fourth day of the inoculation drive, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, adding 6.31 lakh beneficiaries have been vaccinated so far.