The pandemic continues to remain a concern for India, with 27 deaths related to COVID-19 and 10,753 fresh COVID-19 cases recorded in the past 24, according to Union Health Ministry data published today. That takes the number of active COVID-19 infections to 53,720.
The COVID-19 fatality break-up for the past 24 hours is: six deaths in Delhi; six deaths in Kerala; four deaths in Maharashtra; three deaths in Rajasthan; and one death each in Gujarat; Haryana; Himachal Pradesh; Jammu and Kashmir; Madhya Pradesh; Chhattisgarh; Uttarakhand; Uttar Pradesh.
As of now, the active cases form 0.12 per cent of the total 4,48,08,022 cases of COVID-19 infections recorded in the country, and the national COVID-19 recovery rate 98.69, according to the Healthy Ministry data.
Hospital drills and booster dose
At the beginning of this week, public and private hospitals across India held COVID-19 drills to review emergency preparedness. Even before that, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya asked state health ministers to stay alert and check the preparedness of health facilities.
The Serum Institute of India has restarted the production of Covishield, though approximately 100 million Indians did not take their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine — both Covishield and Covaxin — resulting in huge losses for the manufacturers.
Now there is renewed government focus on getting people to take their booster dose, for which Serum Institute’s Covovax has been approved this week. People fully vaccinated with either Covishield or Covaxin can take Covovax, of which 6 million doses are ready for supply, if the people demand it.
