44,658 Fresh COVID-19 Cases In India, 50% Have Got At Least First Dose

Kerala contributed 30,077 cases in the past 24 hours to take the total number of those affected in the state by the viral infection to 39,13,506. The southern state has been reporting the most number of coronavirus cases in the country and accounts for the second-highest national tally.

Even though Kerala has a high positivity ratio (19.3%), around 90 per cent of the state's positive cases have been mild and asymptomatic, according to Kerala Covid experts. Thus, most cases are under home quarantine -- the reason the state's health infrastructure is not overwhelmed despite the high number of cases.

Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, reported 5,108 new infections and 145 fatalities in 24 hours.

No virus-related death was recorded in Delhi on Thursday, while 45 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.06 per cent, according to the city's health department. This is the sixteenth time since the starting of the second wave of the pandemic in the national capital that zero fatality has been logged in a day.

The daily positivity rate remains less than 3 per cent for the last 28 days and is presently at 2.10 per cent. Active cases constitute 1.06% of total cases, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stands 97.60 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.

At least 61 crore beneficiaries have been administered Covid vaccine doses so far. Nearly 68 lakh (67,87,305) vaccine doses were administered on Thursday - the 223rd day of the vaccination drive that began on January 16.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to Twitter on Thursday to inform that 50 per cent of the eligible population is vaccinated with first dose of the vaccine. "India achieves unprecedented milestone! 50 per cent of the eligible population inoculated with the first dose of #COVID19 vaccine. Keep it up India. Let us fight Corona," he wrote.

AY.12, a sub-lineage of Delta which is driving fresh cases in Israel, is being seen in many states in India but the numbers need a closer examination, INSACOG, a genome sequencing consortium, has said. The INSACOG said functional impact of the changes between Delta and AY.12 is not known but the two appear to be very similar at a molecular level.

There is no plan to reduce the 84-day dose gap for Covishield, top government expert NK Arora has said. Mr Arora's comments came amid reports that the interval between two shots will be reviewed for the third time this year following a recommendation by health experts. The IAPSM or Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine has recommended reducing the gap.

Coronavirus cases worldwide have surpassed the 200 million-mark. Cases are rising in about one-third of the world's countries, many of which have not even given half their population a first dose.