Coronavirus India Updates: Over 18,000 Fresh Cases For Second Time In A Week
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India reported more than 18,000 coronavirus infections for the second time in a week, prompting the central government to urge states to accelerate their vaccination drive and assess the reasons for mounting cases.
Authorities detected 18,600 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on March 8. That’s higher than the 14,300 recoveries during the period, taking active cases above 1.88 lakh.
Key Figures:
- Total confirmed Covid-19 cases: 1,12,29,398
- Active cases: 1,88,747
- Cured/discharged/migrated: 1,08,82,798
- Deaths: 1,57,853
- Total Vaccinations: 2,09,89,010
- Fresh cases in the last 24 hours: 18,599
- One-day recoveries: 14,278
- One-day deaths: 97
Covid-19 cases in India have surged recently, sparking fears of another wave. But the government on Saturday asserted that more than 80% of these cases were concentrated in five states—Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.
States and union territories witnessing high active caseloads were asked by the central government to increase vaccinations and continue with the 'test-track-treat' strategy. In a meeting held on Saturday, they have been asked to collaborate with private hospitals to open up vaccination time-table for a minimum of 15 days and maximum of 28 days at a time.
The centre has also rushed high-level multi-disciplinary public health teams to Maharashtra and Punjab. The teams are being deployed to assist state health departments in coronavirus surveillance, control and containment measures, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The teams will visit hotspots in the states and ascertain reasons for the surge in cases, the ministry said.