India records 37,566 COVID-19 new cases, 907 more deaths; 32.9 crore vaccine doses administered

India saw 37,566 new cases being reported in a day, while the COVID-19 death toll rose to 3,97,637 with 907 daily fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am on Tuesday. The COVID-19 infection tally now stands at 3,03,16,897. The number of active cases has further declined to 5,52,659, comprising 1.82 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 96.87 percent. A net decline of 20,335 cases has been recorded in the COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. COVID deaths lowest in 77 days, positivity rate under 2.12% The daily coronavirus deaths are the lowest in 77 days, while the single-day rise in fresh cases was recorded below 40,000 after 102 days. The daily fatalities remained below 1,000 for the second consecutive day. The daily positivity rate has declined to 2.12 percent. It has been less than 5 percent for 22 consecutive days, the ministry said. Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 47th consecutive day, with the number of people who have recuperated from the disease surging to 2,93,66,601. What are the testing and vaccination numbers? According to the data published at 7 am, 32.90 crore cumulative vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. Additionally, 17,68,008 tests were conducted on Monday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 40,81,39,287. When did India cross the one-crore cases mark? India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on 7 August; 30 lakh on 23 August; 40 lakh on 5 September and 50 lakh on 16 September. It went past 60 lakh on 28 September; 70 lakh on 11 October, crossed 80 lakh on 29 October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed one crore on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on 4 May and 3 crore on 23 June. Why India still needs to worry despite fall in cases? A rise in the Delta Plus variant cases is among the reasons for concern for India, even though COVID-19 Task Force chief Dr VK Paul said there is no scientific data so far to establish that the new COVID-19 strain adversely impacts vaccine efficacy or has higher transmissibility. The Delta Plus variant has been detected in 21 people spread across seven districts of Maharashtra so far. Earlier this month, the first death due to Delta plus variant in Maharashtra was detected in Ratnagiri district, where an 80-year-old woman with comorbidities succumbed to the infection. Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Karnataka have also reported Delta Plus variant cases. As many states have eased restrictions, but experts also fear the third wave of COVID-19 might be coming. The Uttar Pradesh government has intensified preparations to foil a possible third wave by training medical staff, facilitating easy availability of proper medical treatment and Covid-related medicines. The ambulance staff has been trained to adopt a sensitive approach towards parents or guardians of children and the ambulances have been equipped with all life-saving equipment for the treatment of children. How much COVID-19 assistance is India getting from US? The US has announced an additional $41 million assistance to help India respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen the country’s preparedness for future health emergencies, taking the total aid to more than $200 million. “USAID’s assistance will support access to COVID-19 testing, pandemic-related mental health services, timely referrals to medical services, and access to healthcare in remote areas,” the independent agency of the US federal government primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance said.