Coronavirus India Updates: Active Cases Drop For The First Time In Two Months
Track the latest updates on the second wave of Covid-19 in India here.
Active cases of Covid-19 in India dropped for the first time in two months, albeit marginally, in a small relief to a healthcare system battling the world’s fastest spreading outbreak.
3.3 lakh people tested positive for the virus in 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry’s 8 a.m. update on May 10. That’s less than the 3.56 lakh patients who recovered during the same period, taking active cases lower to 37.15 lakh.
Daily deaths, too, stayed below 4,000 for a second day. 3,876 patients succumbed to the illness in 24 hours, taking the nation's total death toll near 2.5 lakh.
To be clear, data on Covid cases and related deaths may be severely deficient as several states have inadequate testing, chronic underreporting and have been reportedly concealing such data by attributing the casualties to other causes.
Key data points:
- Total confirmed cases: 2,29,92,517
- Total number of active cases: 37,15,221
- Total patients cured/discharged: 1,90,27,304
- Total deaths: 2,49,992
- Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 3,29,942
- One-day recoveries: 3,56,082
- One-day deaths: 3,876
- Total vaccination shots administered: 17,27,10,066
A fast-spreading strain of Covid-19 first identified in India will be classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. The global health group will publish a detailed report Tuesday on the variant, called B.1.617, said Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead officer on Covid-19.
“There is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility,” she said at a media briefing on Monday. A study of a limited number of patients that has not undergone peer review also suggested that the mutant can evade some key antibodies, she said. “As such, we’re classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level.”