Coronavirus India Updates: Fresh Cases Top 3 Lakh For The Second Straight Day
Track all the news and developments around the second Covid-19 wave in India here.
India reported more than 3 lakh fresh Covid-19 cases for a second day in a row, at a time states continue to tighten curbs and the centre seeks to expand the vaccination drive.
3.32 lakh people tested positive for the virus in a 24-hour period, marking the highest number of new infections recorded by any country in a single day, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on April 23.
Active caseload topped 24 lakh for the first time ever.
More than 2,250 patients succumbed to the illness in 24 hours, taking the country’s total death toll near 1.87 lakh.
Key figures:
- Total confirmed cases: 1,62,63,695
- Total number of active cases: 24,28,616
- Total patients cured/discharged/migrated: 1,36,48,159
- Total deaths: 1,86,920
- Number of fresh cases in last 24 hours: 3,32,730
- One-day recoveries: 1,93,279
- One-day deaths: 2,263
- Total vaccinations: 13,54,78,420
India has been reporting a record spike in coronavirus cases for two weeks even as the government accelerated its vaccination drive to fight the world’s fastest-growing outbreak.
Authorities have administered more than 13 crore jabs so far, under the first two phases of the immunisation drive. The government will open up Covid-19 vaccinations to everyone above 18 years of age from May 1, under it’s third phase. The goal is to cover about 25 crore people with two doses by July.
Meanwhile, Canada, UAE and Singapore join the U.K. and others to ban travelers from India to prevent the spread of the massive outbreak.
India To Give Free Rice, Wheat For 2 Months To 80 Crore People
The central government will spend Rs 26,000 crore ($3.5 billion) to provide free food grain for two months to people covered under the state-run food programme, the food ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Will provide a total of 5 kilograms of wheat or rice per person per month in May & June
Move to “ameliorate hardships faced by the poor and needy due to economic disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak”
Source: Bloomberg
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