India on Tuesday recorded 2,59,170 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally of infections since the beginning of the pandemic in January 2020 to 1,53,21,089. With 1,761 deaths, the toll rose to 1,80,530. This is the highest number of deaths recorded in a day since the start of the pandemic.

The country has recorded over 2 lakh infections for the sixth consecutive day.

India’s count of active cases stood at 20,31,977, while the number of recoveries recorded since the beginning of the outbreak reached 1,31,08,582. Ten states in the country account for 78% of the new cases on Tuesday, while five states have 62% of the total active cases.

Image source: Press Information Bureau
Image source: Press Information Bureau

More than 12.71 crore shots of the vaccine have been administered in the country so far, while over 32 lakh of them have been given in the last 24 hours.

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The United States advised its citizens to avoid travelling to India citing a “very high level of Covid-19” in the country. The United Kingdom has also put India on its travel “red list”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet vaccine manufacturers on Tuesday amid the surge in cases, PTI reported. The government had on Monday announced that everyone above 18 years of age would be eligible for vaccination from May 1.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 14 crore people and killed over 30 lakh since December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 8 crore people have recovered from the infection.

State updates

  1. Kerala imposed a night curfew from 9 pm to 6 am amid the sharp increase in coronavirus cases.
  2. The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state to ensure continuous and regular supply of oxygen, the remdesivir drug and other facilities required for treatment of coronavirus patients.
  3. The Allahabad HC criticised Uttar Pradesh for mismanagement of the health crisis and ordered curbs in five cities. However, the state refused to implement the order. The Delhi High Court expressed concern about the situation in the Capital and said “the healthcare infrastructure is at the stage of imminent collapse”. Meanwhile, the Telangana High Court gave the state government a 48-hour ultimatum to decide whether it will impose a lockdown.

Global news

  1. Britain will set up a an expert group to help the world prepare for the next pandemic and speed up the development of vaccines to combat future diseases, Reuters reported
  2. The White House on Monday refused to respond to questions on Serum Institute of India’s request to lift the export ban on raw materials needed to manufacture vaccines, PTI reported. Dr Andy Slacitt, the White House senior advisor for coronavirus response, said, “Suffice to say we are taking very seriously the global threat from the pandemic. We’ve been a leader in the funding of COVAX, have done several bilateral transfers of vaccines, and are looking very hard and taking very seriously all of these complex issues.”
  3. Adults in all states in the US are now eligible for vaccination, The New York Times reported.