New Delhi: India reported 201 new coronavirus infections, raising the tally to 4.46 crore, while the active cases increased to 3,397, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. The death toll stands at 5,30,691 with one fatality reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am by the ministry stated. On Friday India logged 163 new coronavirus infections, while active cases were 3,380.
The daily positivity was recorded at 0.15 per cent and the weekly positivity at 0.14 per cent. A total of 90.97 crore tests for detection of COVID-19 have been conducted so far, with 1,36,315 tests being conducted in the last 24 hours, the ministry said. The active cases comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, it said.
An increase of 17 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours, the ministry said. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,42,791, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent. India has so far recorded at 4.46 crore ( 4,46,76,879) COVID-18 cases.
According to the ministry's website, 220.04 crore doses of coronavirus vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 inoculation drive.
On Friday, Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine got approved by the government as a booster dose for those aged 18 years and above, and is likely to be introduced on the Co-WIN platform. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya advised states and union territories to undertake a mock drill across all health facilities on December 27 to ensure readiness of infrastructure with a specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources. Ahead of the festive season, the Centre asked states and union territories to take measures to avoid overcrowding and ensure adequate ventilation for indoor gatherings and wearing of masks in crowded places.
With random coronavirus testing of international arriving passengers set to start on Saturday, the government said airlines' crew members will have to bring such identified passengers to the testing facility at the airport. States and Union territories will undertake a mock drill across all health facilities on Tuesday to ensure operational readiness of the Covid-dedicated facilities, with a specific focus on oxygen plants, ventilators, logistics and human resources.
Haryana issued guidelines directing all civil surgeons in the state to ensure compliance of various measures across all health facilities. Odisha on Friday issued a fresh advisory to citizens to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, like wearing masks during Christmas and New Year.
