13 STATES REPORT MORE THAN 100 DEATHS A DAY
India reported 3,584 deaths in the last 24 hours. Over 900 deaths were from Maharashtra, while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh reported 338 and 351, respectively.
At least 13 states are reporting more than 100 deaths a day. These include previously uncounted deaths from earlier days.
The country reported
3,91,184 lakh cases of the Coronavirus in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Wednesday. Of these, Maharashtra recorded
51,880 cases, while Karnataka reported 44,631. Active cases are now more than 35.58 lakh.
Maharashtra reported
57,640 fresh Covid-19 positive cases, 57,006 discharges, and 920 deaths. Karnataka reports
50,112 new positive cases, 26,841 recoveries and 346 deaths in the last
24 hours. 22,204 new cases, 85 deaths and
11,128 discharges reported in Andhra Pradesh in last 24 hours.
Kerala reported the highest single-day rise of
41,953 new Covid-19 cases and 58 deaths. Active cases stand at 3,75,658 in the state, 23,106 recovered. Total 13,62,363 patients recovered so far, while 5,565 deaths have been reported till now said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan
12 states have more than one lakh active cases, seven states have
50,000 to one lakh active cases, and 17 states have less than 50,000 active cases. Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh & Andhra Pradesh have around 1.5 lakh active cases, said Lav Agarwal, Union health ministry Joint Secretary.
Meanwhile India has given emergency use authorisation for a
Covid-19 antibody drug cocktail developed by Roche (ROG.S) and Regeneron (REGN.O), expanding its arsenal of drugs to battle a massive second wave of infections.
India has become the fastest country in the world to administer 16 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccine in 109 days, said health ministry.
Liberalised policy (for vaccination) was started on May 1st. Under this, the drive has begun smoothly in 9 states and
6.71 lakh people in the age group of 18-44 years have been administered vaccines, said Lav Agarwal, Union health ministry Joint Secretary.
K. Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Advisor to Centre, has warned that a third wave of Covid infections is inevitable.
“A phase three is inevitable, given the higher levels of circulating virus but it is not clear on what time scale this phase three will occur. Vaccines are effective against current variants. New variants will arise all over the world and in India too but variants that increase transmission will likely plateau. Immune evasive variants and those which lower or increase disease severity will arise going ahead,” he said.