India on Thursday added 211,298 new cases of Covid-19 and 3,847 deaths due to the infections in the last 24 hours, according to data shared by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry. India’s overall covid tally mounted to 2,73,69,093 with 24,19,907 active cases and 3,15,235 deaths so far.
The country’s active cases further declined by 75,684 to stand at 24,199,07, which is now 9.79 per cent of the total infections.
The national recovery rate has improved to 90.01 per cent.
As many as 2,83,135 patients cured of the illness in the last 24 hours, pushing the total number of recoveries since the start of the pandemic to 2,46,33,951.
Out of the 2.11 lakh covid cases present in the country, Tamil Nadu has reported the highest new cases with 33,764 people testing positive for the virus, while Kerala added 28,798 cases. Meanwhile, Maharashtra saw the most fatalities at 1,013, Karnataka logged 530, and Tamil Nadu 475. Strict measures have been started by the M.K. Stalin government to bring down the Covid figures.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative 33,69,69,353 samples have been tested up to May 26 for Covid-19. Of these 21,57,857 samples were tested on Wednesday.
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India in the last 16 days has recorded more than 60,000 deaths. On Monday, the country crossed a grim milestone of three-lakh deaths due to Covid infections, thus becoming the world's third country after the US and Brazil to cross three-lakh deaths. After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, Covid new cases dipped below the three lakh mark for the first time on May 17 after touching a record high of 4,14,188 on May 7.
US pharmaceutical major Pfizer is expected to supply more than 5 crore Covid-19 vaccines to India in 202, but with few conditions. The drugmaker said that its vaccine is effective for children aged 12 and above, has asked for relaxations in some clauses, including indemnification for its shots, it stated.
The Indian government is also looking at the possibility to secure a part of Johnson and Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine. Hyderabad-based Biological E, which will produce the vaccine in India has, however, proposed to manufacture about 30 crore doses exclusively for the Indian market by December. The firm has solicited "funding support" from the government.
Meanwhile, two homegrown vaccines Serum Institute's Covishield and Covaxin of Bharat Biotech and Russia’s Sputnik V are being used to inoculate the Indian populace, which has been approved for those aged 18 and above.
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Covaxin is supposed to shortly start trials of its vaccine for the 2-18 age group.