On Thursday India recorded 2,76,110 new Covid-19 cases and 3,874 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total tally of the viral infection now stands at 25,772,440 and pushing the overall death toll to 2,87,122.
A total of 3,69,077 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, with 2,23,55,440 being cured of Covid to date.
India continues to maintain a downward trend in daily Covid-19 cases after reporting above 3,00,000 cases in the deadly second wave of the infection.
Over 20.55 lakh samples were tested for the infection in the last 24 hours, accounting for the highest single-day tests so far. Maharashtra has the highest number of infections, followed by, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.
Maharashtra on Wednesday reported 34,031 new Covid cases and 594 deaths in a day. 90 people have died of mucormycosis, a rare but potentially fatal fungal infection, in the state so far.
Delhi reported 3,846 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the lowest since April 5. 235 patients died in the last 24 hours.
In Kerala, 32,762 tested positive for the virus on Wednesday and 112 Covid patients died. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the center's allocation of vaccines to the state has finished and that the Chief Secretary will raise the matter with the center today.
Karnataka on Wednesday logged 34,281 cases, taking the caseload to over 23.06 lakh, while 468 more deaths took the total fatalities to 23,306. Bengaluru reported 11,772 more infections.Nearly two weeks into the lockdown in neighboring Tamil Nadu, the daily Covid tally has crossed 34,000 with Chennai accounting for around 6,500 new cases.
Rajasthan and Telangana have notified mucormycosis as an epidemic. Rajasthan has around 100 black fungus patients and a separate ward has been made at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur
The government has approved Rapid Antigen Kits to conduct a Covid test at home. The Indian Council of Medical Research has issued detailed guidelines on who can use it and how.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan Wednesday said India will have procured 267 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of this year and will be in a position to inoculate at least all of its adult population.
Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday approved a home-based rapid antigen testing (RAT) kit for COVID-19, which it advised should be used only on symptomatic individuals and on immediate contacts laboratory-confirmed positive cases.
The country's apex health research body said that the home-based rapid antigen testing kit manufactured by Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd, Pune, has been validated and approved.
