India on Wednesday recorded 2,82,970 new cases of Covid-19 taking the infection count to 3,79,01,241 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. As many as 441 patients died due to the disease in the last 24 hours and the toll went up to 4,87,202, government data showed.
The daily case count on Wednesday was 18.88% higher than Tuesday’s tally of 2,38,018 infections. The active caseload stood at 18,31,000 as 94,372 patients were added to the tally on Wednesday.
India updates
Under a revised set of guidelines for the treatment of coronavirus patients, the Union health ministry on Tuesday advised a test for tuberculosis and other conditions if cough persists for more than two to three weeks.
The Centre also expressed concern about the decrease in Covid-19 testing in many states and Union Territories, and called for ramping up the number of tests.
Delhi reported a sharp decline in the number of daily Covid-19 cases and positivity rate on Tuesday. However, the number of deaths due to the disease went up. Mumbai reported a marginal rise in cases and positivity rate.
The pandemic continued to surge in other parts of the country as Assam registered 8,072 new cases, the highest single-day tally since the pandemic started. The state government has issued an order to bar unvaccinated citizens from public places, except in hospitals, The Indian Express reported.
Karnataka logged 41,457 new cases of coronavirus, of which 25,595 infections were recorded in Bengaluru Urban alone. On Monday, the state had recorded 27,156 infections, while 34,047 cases were reported on Sunday. Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka had on Monday said that the government will not impose a lockdown in the state even as it predicted coronavirus cases to peak by the end of January.
Meanwhile, the World Health Oraganization’s India representative Roderico H Ofrin has advised a risk-based approach to contain the spread of infection, rather than blanket bans like lockdowns, The Indian Express reported.
Global updates
The United Kingdom on Tuesday reported 94,432 new cases and 438 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Sky News reported. The single-day toll was the country’s highest since February last year.
However, the cases are falling at a sharper rate in Britain, as compared to the pace in which they surged, according to India Today. The country’s R-Value, which is an indicator of reproduction of the infection stood at 0.67. An R-Value of more than 1 means that cases would continue to rise.
In the United States too, cases are rapidly decreasing in New York and some northeastern states, according to The Guardian. The country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday advised against travelling to 22 nations due to rise in cases. These countries include for Australia, Israel, Egypt, Albania, Argentina and Uruguay.
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