India on Sunday reported 14,849 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall count to 1,06,54,533. The new cases are 4% than Saturday’s count. India’s toll rose by 155 to 1,53,339.
The country’s active cases stood at 1,84,408, while the number of recoveries reached 1,03,16,786.
Meanwhile, as many as 15,82,201 people have been vaccinated in the country till 8 am on Sunday, according to a health ministry statement. India began what the government calls the world’s biggest vaccination programme on January 16.
Eleven people who received the shot have been hospitalised, while six of them have died, the ministry said on Saturday. However, none of the deaths are related to the vaccine, it added. It further said that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin was now being used in seven more states, in addition to the 12 states, where it was administered earlier.
Earlier on Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at those raising concerns over safety and other aspects of the vaccine, PTI reported.
“There are some people who are spreading misinformation on vaccine,” Shah said at an event in Guwahati. “Come to another platform and let us have a duel. But why are you creating doubt over people’s health and doing politics? There are other issues for that.”
Shah assured that the vaccines developed by Indian scientists were fully safe, and asked people to take the shot when their turn arrives.
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday said that the country will receive free vaccines from India by January 27, PTI reported. The announcement came a day after Sri Lanka approved emergency use of Oxford AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine. Several countries have asked India for supplies for Covishield, amid concerns over efficacy of some of the vaccines developed by China, according to the Hindustan Times. On Saturday, India sent 20 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Brazil and Morocco. Earlier, it had also sent vaccines to Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organisation, tweeted on Saturday thanking India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their role in response to the pandemic.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 9.87 crore people and killed over 21.20 lakh, according to John Hopkins University. Over 5.44 crore people have recovered from the infection in the world.
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