India's COVID-19 cases tally sees major drop; 7,178 fresh cases reported in 24 hours

India saw a drop in the tally of daily reported COVID-19 cases with 7,178 fresh cases reported in a span of 24 hours.

With the addition of fresh cases, the number of active coronavirus cases increased to 65,683, said the Union health ministry on Monday. Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate was registered at 9.16 per cent.

The death toll because of COVID-19 has surged to 5,31,345, with 16 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data of the ministry which is updated at 8 am IST.

The 65,683 active cases currently comprise 0.15 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases. The health ministry's website stated that officials have recorded the national COVID-19 recovery rate at 98.67 per cent.

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The number of patients who recuperated from the virus increased to 4,43,01,865, while the fatality rate of coronavirus cases was recorded at 1.18 per cent.

As per the ministry's website, the government has so far administered 220.66 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines under the nationwide vaccination drive.

On Sunday, the national capital logged 948 fresh COVID-19 infections and two fatalities, recording a positivity rate of 25.69, as per the data shared by the health department.

With the addition of new fatalities due to the virus, the death toll due to coronavirus in the national capital rose to 26,597. The total death tally currently stands at 20,33,372.

On Sunday, Maharashtra recorded 545 fresh coronavirus cases and two deaths, said the health department. After the fresh cases, the COVID-19 tally of the state rose to 81,61,894 and the death toll increased to 1,48,504.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan had written to eight states, in the wake of rising coronavirus cases, to increase surveillance measures and develop hospital infrastructure.

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In the letter to Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka, Bhushan emphasised that the pandemic will not be over in the near future and hence, controlling the spread of the virus is important.

With a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, scientists stated that the variant “XBB.1.16” is responsible for an increase in cases. However, they added that vaccination and natural infection have helped people develop hybrid immunity in India.

Hence, the present surge in coronavirus cases due to the variant XBB.1.16 will not overwhelm hospitals and lead to a critical situation as the infection is mild in nature.

However, people have been advised by the government to wear masks, adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour and complete their pending vaccination doses, if any.

(With inputs from agencies)

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