By PTI
NEW DELHI: India added 7,974 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,47,18,602, while the active cases declined to 87,245, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll climbed to 4,76,478 with 343 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 49 days now.
The active cases comprise 0.25 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020,the ministry said.
A decline of 317 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.57 per cent.
It has been less than two per cent for last 73 days.
The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.64 per cent.
It has been below one per cent for the last 32 days, according to the ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,41,54,879, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.37 per cent.
7,974 new #COVID19 cases, 7,948 recoveries, and 343 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours.Express Photo | @RVKRao2 pic.twitter.com/JOToRcg8yj
— (@NewIndianXpress) December 16, 2021
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 135.25 crore.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
The 343 new fatalities include 282 from Kerala and 13 from West Bengal.
Of the 282 deaths in Kerala, 125 were recorded over the last few days and 157 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, a Kerala state government release said on Wednesday.
A total of 4,76,478 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41,298 from Maharashtra, 43,626 from Kerala,38,277 from Karnataka, 36,644 from Tamil Nadu, 25,100 from Delhi, 22,915 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,633 from West Bengal.
The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, over 16.42 crore Covid vaccine doses are still available with states and Union Territories for inoculation, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.
More than 141.80 crore vaccine doses have been provided to them so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category, it said.
The Union government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country.
The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to states and Union Territories for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain, the ministry said.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the states and Union Territories by providing them COVID-19 vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalisation of the Covid vaccination drive, the Union government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to states and Union Territories to be administered, the ministry said.
