India’s Covid-19 Tally Rises by Record 115,736 Cases As 100,000 Mark Breached for 2nd Time

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case tally in the country currently stands at over 12.68 million with the active caseload at more than 788,000, as per the Union health ministry.

The country is witnessing a worrying trend of rising Covid-19 cases that led many states to impose stricter curbs to control the spread of the virus. The toll has reached over 165,000 as India reported 446 deaths in the last 24 hours on Tuesday, according to the health ministry, reports Hindustan Times.  

On Tuesday, the 81st day of the vaccination, the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 8.40 crore.

Amid the partial lockdown imposed in Maharashtra, the state on Tuesday recorded 55,469 new Covid-19 infections (its second-highest single-day spike after April 4) and 297 deaths, taking the case tally to 3,113,354 and death toll to 55,469.

Mumbai also registered 10,040 new cases and 32 deaths. The state has 472,283 active infections, as of Tuesday.

According to the Centre's Ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), seven of the 10 districts with the most active cases in the country are in Maharashtra. These include Pune (84,309), Mumbai (79,368), Thane (61,127), Nagpur (57,372), Nashik (31,688), Aurangabad (17,818) and Ahmednagar (17,405). The other districts include Bengaluru Urban, Delhi, and Durg in Chhattisgarh.

Maharashtra accounts for 58% of all active cases and 34% of all Covid-related deaths in the country, the ministry said. Starting Monday 8pm, the state has imposed a partial lockdown with all non-essential shops shut, a night curfew of 11 hours, and a stricter weekend lockdown.

Experts say that with the health infrastructure burdened, the restrictions can help control the spread. Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the state-appointed task force said that the situation will improve in the coming two to four weeks.

Globally, more than 132 million people have been affected by the disease that was declared a pandemic last year and over 2.8 million people have lost their lives due to Covid-19, as per the John Hopkins University tracker.

Cofepris, Mexico's health regulator has authorised the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by India, Covaxin, Reuters quoted its foreign minister Marcelo Ebard as saying.

South Korea witnessed the biggest jump in the number of daily Covid-19 cases in three months as it reported 668 new cases and US President Joe Biden wants all adults to be eligible for the vaccine by April 19, reported Bloomberg.