India's COVID-19 graph takes a dip

The COVID-19 tallies as reported from various state health departments till 10 pm further indicate that the downward dip continued on Tuesday.

New Delhi:India registered a sharp decline in daily COVID-19 cases as 1,67,059 new infections were recorded in the last 24 hours. The COVID tallies as reported from various state health departments till 10 pm further indicate that the downward dip continued on Tuesday as well.

Kerala which had been leading the COVID tally since the last few days reported 51,887 cases on Tuesday, raising the caseload to 60,77,556 in the state. Kerala was showing an average TPR of 47.6 per cent for the last seven days. However, Health Minister Veena George pointed out that the rate of spread of coronavirus in the state has come down compared to the first and second weeks of January. Meanwhile, the eleventh edition of Kerala Travel Mart, a tourism industry congregation originally scheduled for March 24-27, has been postponed to May 5 to 8 at Kochi in view of the current surge in Covid-19 across the world.

The national capital on Tuesday reported 2,683 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 5.09 per cent, while 27 more people succumbed to the viral disease. Meanwhile owing to the dip in cases in Delhi, the Delhi High Court said it is expected that the Delhi government will take a prompt decision to operationalise services that were suspended in government hospitals amid the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Maharashtra which was at the frontlines leading the COVID-19 tally in India has registered a significant drop in the last few days. On Tuesday, Maharashtra recorded 14,372 new COVID-19 cases, down from 15,410 the previous day. However, deaths linked to the infection rose sharply to 94 from 39 the day ago.

With the count of new coronavirus cases in Mumbai declining, the civic body BMC on Tuesday allowed all tourist locations, restaurants and theatres to operate or remain open with 50 per cent occupancy. The beaches, gardens and parks would be accessible to people once again during normal hours while the ban on the gathering of five or more people in public at night has been removed, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said.

Meanwhile, The disaster management authority in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district has initiated a step to study patients who required oxygen support and ventilators in the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said on Tuesday.

The COVID tally in some northeastern states continues to be high. Mizoram on Tuesday registered the highest single-day spike of 2,531 new COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 1,75,022. Nagaland on Tuesday reported its first Omicron variant of COVID-19 case. However, Meghalaya on Tuesday recorded 293 new COVID-19 cases, 83 less than the previous day, pushing the tally to 91,387.

Telangana on Tuesday reported 2,850 fresh COVID-19 cases taking the statewide tally to 7,66,761 while the death toll rose to 4,091. Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation reported the highest number of daily cases with 859 new cases.

Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday recorded 2,751 fresh coronavirus cases that took its infection tally to 4,38,176, while the death toll climbed to 4,683 as nine more people succumbed to the virus.

Continuing to witness a decline in fresh infections, Karnataka on Tuesday reported 14,366 new cases of COVID-19 and 58 fatalities, taking the tally to 38,23,833 and death toll to 39,056.

Gujarat remains a major state where COVID cases continue to be high. On Tuesday, Gujarat reported 8,338 COVID-19 cases, raising its tally to 11,68,997, while the deaths, at 38, were the highest in the third wave of the pandemic, taking the toll in the state to 10,511.

In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the COVID-19 tally increased to 20,24,200 on Tuesday with 4,901 fresh cases, while the death toll climbed to 23,233 as 26 more people succumbed to the viral disease. Tamil Nadu continued to maintain a downward graph registering 16,096 fresh Coronavirus positive cases, and 35 deaths on Tuesday, taking the count to 33,61,316 and the toll to 37,599.

The COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 9,73,744 on Tuesday after the detection of 6,243 new cases, down from 8,062 the previous day, while the death toll increased to 10,624 after six more patients succumbed to the infection in the state. The daily positivity rate decreased to 8.6 per cent from 10.8 per cent on Monday.

For the second consecutive day, Bihar registered less than 1,000 COVID19 cases, as 824 fresh infections on Tuesday pushed the tally to 8,24,624, a health department bulletin said. Two new COVID-19 fatalities took the death toll to 12,224 on Tuesday.

(With agency inputs)