India on Monday recorded 2,73,810 new coronavirus cases, an unprecedented figure since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, to take its tally to 1,50,61,919. With 1,619 deaths, the toll rose to 1,78,769.
The country has recorded over 2 lakh infections for the fifth consecutive day.
India’s count of active cases stood at 19,29,329, while the number of recoveries reached 1,29,53,821. More than 12.38 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far.
In a statement, the health ministry said that eight states – Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharasthra – have administered 59.42% of the total vaccine doses given in the country.
It added that 10 states account for 78.58% of the daily coronavirus cases reported in the country. These includes Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Ten states – Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu – account for 85.11% of new fatalities reported in the country.
Meanwhile, 10 states and Union Territories have not reported any deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Ladakh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
Amid the surge in cases, India is grappling with a medical oxygen shortage. On Sunday, Union Minister Piyush Goyal advised states to keep the demand of oxygen under control.
“If cases continue to rise unlimitedly, then it will pose a major challenge for the healthcare infrastructure of the country,” he was quoted as saying by ANI. “We are with the state governments but they need to manage the demand and take concrete steps to contain Covid spread.”
Meanwhile, the Centre said the production of medical-grade oxygen was being doubled. The government also decided to prohibit supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, in order to divert the stock for medical use.
Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 14 crore people and killed over 30 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 8 crore crore people have recovered from the infection.
State updates
- Several states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu on Sunday registered their highest single-day rise in cases.
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the Capital’s quota of oxygen had been diverted to other states by the Centre, at a time when the city required an increase supply.
- The Bihar government ordered a night curfew between 9 pm and 5 am amid the surge in cases. Other governments including Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan have imposed similar restrictions.
Global news
- More than half of the adults in the United States have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reported, citing data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Canada’s Ontario state will from Tuesday begin administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people turning 40 or older in 2021, according to Reuters.
- A study in Israel has shown that the South African coronavirus variant can break through the protection provided by Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to some extent, Reuters reports.
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