India adds 41,831 new COVID-19 cases, 541 deaths; Kerala highest contributor with over 20k cases

India saw a single-day rise of 41,831 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally to 3,16,55,824, while the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 47 crore, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday. Th toll climbed to 4,24,351 with 541 daily fatalities. Registering an increase for the fifth consecutive day, the active cases have climbed to 4,10,952 and comprise 1.30 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.36 percent, the data updated at 8 am showed. An increase of 2,032 Covid cases has been recorded in the total number of COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. [caption id=“attachment_9855161” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Registering an increase for the fifth consecutive cases, the India’s active COVID-19 cases have climbed to 4,10,952. PIB[/caption] Also, 17,89,472 tests were conducted on Saturday, taking the cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 46,82,16,510, while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.34 percent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.42 percent, according to the health ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,08,20,521, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data stated. Cumulative vaccine doses administered so far have reached 47.02 crores under the nationwide vaccination drive. 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 the one-crore mark on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of two crores on 4 May and 3 crore on 23 June. The 541 new fatalities include 225 from Maharashtra and 80 from Kerala and 68 from Odisha. A total of 4,24,351 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,32,791 from Maharashtra, 36,562 from Karnataka, 34,076 from Tamil Nadu, 25,053 from Delhi, 22,756 from Uttar Pradesh, 18,136 from West Bengal, and 16,293 from Punjab. The health 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. Here are key data points from the national daily COVID data - India recorded a net increase of over 2,000 active cases from yesterday as daily caseload continued to surge for the fifth straight day - Kerala reports 20.62k new cases, Maharashtra 6.96k, Andhra Pradesh 2.06k - Maharashtra reports 225 new deaths, Kerala 80, Odisha 68 - 12 states/UTs report a rise in active cases - Difference between new cases reported in the last 7 days and the preceding 7 days in India is +6 percent (world average is +10 percent) - The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 47 crores with 60,15,842 doses being given in the last 24 hours - India has administered more vaccine doses (47.03 crores) than tests conducted (46.82 crores) - 17.89 lakh new tests. Test positivity rate: 2.34 percent - Three states that are recording the highest test positivity rate are: Kerala 13.61 percent, Manipur 13.10 percent, Sikkim 12.04 percent. With inputs from PTI