Coronavirus India Updates: Active Cases Fall To 1.84 Lakh As Vaccination Continues
Active cases of Covid-19 continue to fall in India.
Recoveries Stay Higher Than New Cases
India's active coronavirus infection tally continued to decline as the nation conducts the world’s largest vaccination drive.
India reported 14,849 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry’s data as of 8 a.m. on Sunday. That’s lower than 15,948 patients who recovered from the virus in the same time period, taking active cases to about 1.84 lakh. India had over 10 lakh live infections in mid-September.
Almost a year has passed since India detected the first case of Covid-19 in Kerala. The virus since has infected over 1.06 crore people; 1.03 crore recovered, while more than 1.53 lakh have succumbed to it. The nation has vaccinated more than 15 lakh frontline workers against the virus.
India is conducting the world's biggest inoculation drive for its frontline workers with two vaccines—Covidshield, the U.K.’s Oxford-AstraZeneca manufactured by Serum Institute of India Ltd.; Covaxin, locally developed shot by Bharat Biotech International Ltd. that has been granted emergency approval even before it submitted phase 3 trial and efficacy data. India is also shipping out vaccines to neighbouring countries Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Maldives and Seychelles while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Mauritius are awaiting clearance.
Key Figures
Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 10,65,4533
Active cases: 1,84,408
Cured/discharged/migrated: 10,31,6786
Deaths: 1,53,339
Number of fresh cases in the last 24 hours: 14,849
One-day recoveries: 15,948
One-day deaths: 155
Source: Health Ministry's update at 8 a.m. on Sunday-Jan. 24
Global Update
U.S. looks to speed up its vaccination, Hong Kong imposed a temporary lockdown and a group of British doctors have urged the government to review the period of 12 weeks allowed for people to receive the second vaccine shot.
Overall cases worldwide topped 98.6 million, with more than 2.1 million deaths.
Track all developments around the Covid-19 outbreak in India here.
Consider Aviation Workers For Vaccine, Says Ministry
Frontline workers in the aviation sector should be considered for Covid-19 vaccination on a priority basis after health workers have been given the jabs, the Civil Aviation Ministry has urged the Union Health Ministry.
India plans to inoculate about 30 crore people in the first phase, starting with three crore healthcare and frontline workers, according to Dec. 28 vaccination guidelines. These include the armed forces, prison staff, municipal workers, among others, but not aviation sector employees.
In a letter dated Jan. 20, Pradeep Singh Kharola, secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, wrote to his counterpart in the health ministry Rajesh Bhushan: "You will agree with me that the crew, engineers, technicians, ground staff, frontline workers in aviation have certain risk elements while performing their duties in a most diligent manner and make air transportation a safe mode of transport."
Recently, airlines and airports had approached the civil aviation ministry on the need to vaccinate their staff.
Source: PTI