Coronavirus India Cases: Fewest New Cases Since April 17; Active Caseload Drops Below 29 Lakh
Follow all updates around the deadly second wave of Covid-19 in India here.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
India’s active Covid-19 caseload dropped below the 29-lakh-mark for the first time in nearly a month as recoveries continued to outpace newly reported infections.
Just over 2.4 lakh people tested positive for the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on May 23. Recoveries during the same period were significantly higher 3.5 lakh.
As a result, active cases in the country fell to 28.05 lakh—the lowest since April 28. They still account for more than 10% of the country’s total caseload.
On Saturday, India’s active Covid-19 caseload fell below the 30-lakh-mark for the first time in over three weeks.
India’s daily fatality rate remained high even as the rate of infection slowed down. 3,741 patients succumbed to the illness in a matter of 24 hours, taking the country’s total reported death toll to 2.99 lakh.
To be sure, data on Covid-19 cases and related deaths may be severely deficient as several states have inadequate testing, chronic underreporting and have been attributing the casualties to other causes.
Key Figures
Total confirmed cases: 2,65,30,132
Active cases: 28,05,399
Total patients cured/discharged: 2,34,25,467
Total deaths: 2,99,266
Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 2,40,842
One-day recoveries: 3,55,102
One-day deaths: 3,741
U.S. CDC Ramps Up Research On B.1.617 Variant
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is ramping up surveillance of the highly transmissible Covid-19 variant first identified in India.
While U.S. cases attributed to the B.1.617 variant currently sit below 1%, the growth rate remains unclear due to the small sample size.
7 States Report More Than 10,000 Cases In Last 24 Hours
Seven states reported more than 10,000 new infections in the last 24 hours, according to the union health ministry's 8:00 a.m. update on May 23.
Tamil Nadu reported nearly 36,000 new Covid cases, while Karnataka reported over 31,000 cases. Kerala and Maharashtra reported over 26,000 cases each.
Delhi Extends Lockdown Until May 31
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the lockdown in Delhi will be extended by another week till 5 a.m. on May 31.
"If Covid-19 cases continue to decrease, we will begin to unlock Delhi in a phased manner from May 31," ANI reported Kejriwal as saying.
The active caseload in the national capital stands at 31,308, while the death toll reached 23,013, according to the union health ministry's 8:00 a.m. update on May 23.
Coronavirus Pandemic: Global Update
Globally, the number of Covid cases passed the 16.64-crore-mark, while deaths exceed 34 lakh, as of Sunday morning.
Covid-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. continue to plunge, despite the slowed pace of vaccinations. The U.S. recorded almost 28,600 new cases on Friday, with the seven-day average roughly half the level of a month ago, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg.
Singapore will close two malls after new cases were linked to the properties. At least 100 people on Mount Everest have become infected, the Associated Press said, and Germany will impose fresh restrictions on travelers from the U.K. starting on Sunday due to the rapid spread of a virus strain first identified in India.
Covid Vaccines Effective Against B.1.617.2 Variant First Found In India
Coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc have been shown to work against a variant first identified in India, according to a study by Public Health England.
Two doses of the Covid-19 vaccines were “highly effective” against the B.1.617.2 strain first detected in India, the agency said in a statement. There was minimal difference with how the inoculations work on a variant detected in Kent, it said.