Active cases rose to 66,170 from 65,286 yesterday, according to the Union Health Ministry.
Published Date – Friday, 4/21/23 at 12:00pm
New Delhi: The federal health ministry said on Friday that the country had recorded 11,692 new covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, down from 12,591 on Thursday.
India had 12,591 on April 20, 10,542 on April 19, 7,633 on April 18, 9,111 on April 17, 10,093 on April 16, and 10,753 on April 15.
Active cases in the country rose to 66,170 from 65,286 yesterday, according to the Union Health Ministry.
The Ministry of Health further stated in its press release that the current recovery rate is 98.68% and active cases are 0.15%.
Furthermore, 10,780 people recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cured infections to 4,4272,256, the announcement said, adding that the current overall recovery rate is 98.67%.
According to the National Vaccination Program, India has so far administered 220,663,197.9 crore doses of Covid vaccine (95.21 cr second dose and 22.87 cr preventive doses), of which 3,647 doses were given in the last 24 hours.
The total number of tests carried out in the past 24 hours is 2,29,739, the Ministry of Health said.
Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, chaired a high-level meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation following the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases across the country.
In a statement, the PMO said the meeting focused on the readiness of the country’s health infrastructure and logistics, medicines, vaccination campaigns, and key necessary steps to deal with the recent surge in Covid cases.
“Dr PK Mishra stressed the need to continue implementing the time-tested 5-fold strategy of Test-Trace-Treat-Vaccinate and adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour, which is also critical to raising community awareness on COVID-appropriate behaviour, and reminding citizens not to be complacent ,” the PMO statement read.
During the meeting, Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajesh Bhushan gave a comprehensive presentation, outlining the global COVID-19 situation.
Bhushan highlighted the rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India with the majority of cases reported in eight states; Kerala, Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Tamilna India, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Also, the sudden increase in positivity rates is highlighted along with the state of ongoing testing in the country. Active cases within these eight states were analyzed in detail. It was highlighted that approximately 92% of cases are in home isolation.
The presentation also provided an overview of the genome sequencing of the different variants since January 2023, noting the proportion of variants that are prevalent in India. The status of vaccinations was discussed, followed by drug supply and infrastructure readiness across the country, the PMO said.
On the Prime Minister’s directive, a functional infrastructure assessment simulation exercise was conducted across the country and participants were briefed about the simulation exercise. Additionally, expenditures for the COVID-19 vaccination program and budgetary allocations for drugs and vaccine raw materials are reviewed.
The health minister also informed the states that they may take steps to source the necessary doses of the Covid vaccine directly from the manufacturer without prior approval from the Union Health Ministry. Private hospitals located in the states can also purchase such vaccines directly from the manufacturer. Once procured, these vaccines can be administered in accordance with existing Covid vaccination guidelines.
He also advised officials to maintain strict vigilance on the COVID-19 situation and take necessary actions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
