India records 2,994 Covid cases in 24 hours, active cases above 16,000

India recorded 2,994 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the country’s total case count to 4.47 crore (4,47,18,781).

The number of active cases has risen to 16,354, indicating a slight increase. The ministry’s data also revealed that the death toll has increased to 5,30,876 with nine deaths recorded.
Among the nine deaths reported, two each were from Delhi, Karnataka, and Punjab, while one was from Gujarat. Kerala also reported two deaths, which were later reconciled. At present, active cases comprise only 0.04% of the total infections, with the national COVID-19 recovery rate standing at an impressive 98.77%, as per the health ministry’s website.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.09%, and the weekly positivity rate was noted at 2.03%. Meanwhile, the number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,41,71,551. The case fatality rate stands at 1.19%.
The ministry’s website also revealed that 220.66 crore doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. These figures suggest that the country is making significant progress in its battle against the pandemic, despite the slight uptick in cases.
On Friday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that in all three Covid deaths reported in the city, the patients had comorbidities, which were the main reason for their demise. He pointed out that in one of the deaths, the patient was hospitalised for a few months due to a kidney transplant. He also added that two out of these three patients were not residents of Delhi.
The Delhi government is conducting genome sequencing of all Covid cases to detect any new variant. Random screening of 2 per cent of passengers is also being done at the airport, he added. The government can conduct more than 1 lakh RT-PCR tests in government and private hospitals, Kejriwal further said.
Additionally, 7,986 beds are ready for Covid patients in Delhi and only 66 beds are occupied as of date. The CM also shared that the Delhi government will follow guidelines from the central government. (With inputs from PTI)