At 6,822 India logs lowest COVID-19 cases in 558 days, 220 fresh fatalities

New Delhi: India logged 6,822 new coronavirus infections, the lowest in 558 days, taking the country’s tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,46,48,383, while the active cases declined to 95,014, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll climbed to 4,73,757 with 220 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 10,000 for 11 straight days and less than 50,000 cases have been recorded for 163 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.27 percent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.36 percent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 3,402 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.63 percent. It has been less than two percent for last 64 day. The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 0.78 percent. It has been below one percent for the last 23 days, according to the ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,40,79,612, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.37 percent. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 128.76 crore. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on 7 August , 2020, 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 11, crossed 80 lakh on 29 October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed the one-crore mark on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on 4 May and three crore on 23 June. The 220 new fatalities include 168 from Kerala and 10 from Tamil Nadu. Of the 168 deaths reported in Kerala on Monday, 30 were logged over the last few days and 138 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court. A total of 4,73,757 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,41,175 from Maharashtra, 41,768 from Kerala, 38,237 from Karnataka, 36,539 from Tamil Nadu, 25,099 from Delhi, 22,911 from Uttar Pradesh and 19,553 from West Bengal. The ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.