38,164 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In India, 7.2% Lower Than Yesterday

India's test positivity rate (positive cases identified for every 100 tests) continues to decline. For the 28th straight day it is below the 5 per cent-mark at 2.61 per cent.

Active cases have decreased by 995 in the last 24 hours to take the tally to 4.21 lakh and comprises 1.35 per cent of the total infections.

The total vaccine doses administered has reached 40.64 crore under the nationwide vaccination drive. The national Covid recovery rate stands at 97.32 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Kerala, one of the worst Covid-affected states in the country, contributed 13,956 cases to the country's daily numbers. It was followed by Maharashtra (9,000 cases).

Despite the high number of infections, the Kerala government has declared that lockdown restrictions in the state would be relaxed for three days in view of the upcoming Bakrid festival. The Indian Medical Association or IMA has warned that if the order is not withdrawn, they will be forced to approach the Supreme Court.

No death was reported due to Covid in Delhi on Sunday, according to the state health bulletin. Fifty-one new cases were, however, reported in the national capital, where the positivity rate currently stands at 0.07 per cent.

The situation is of grave concern in the Northeast where several states have been forced to either announce fresh lockdown or other stricter measures amid rise in cases of delta variant and a slow decline in the number of fresh cases.

Vaccines targeting COVID-19 are able to curb chances of Covid deaths in India to 0.4 per cent, according to a new study by researchers at the Indian Council of Medical Research.

India crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23.

The third wave of Covid is likely to hit the country at the end of August and chances are that it will not be as intense as the second wave, Dr Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases at the Indian Council of Medical Research, has told NDTV.