India recorded a fresh spike of 44,376 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the past 24 hours pushing the country’s infection tally past 9.22 million, figures on Union ministry’s health and family welfare showed on Wednesday morning.
Of the 9,222,216 confirmed cases in the country, 444,746 are active, 134,699 have died of the disease and 8,642,771 have recovered either at Covid-19 designated hospitals or in-home isolation. The increased number of daily cases may prove to be the cause of worry as after remaining below 39,000 for three days last week, the cases again soared past 40,000 daily and have been on the rise since.
The recovery rate of 93.72%, however, continues to bring solace. This comes at a time when three manufacturers have claimed success in mass testing of their vaccine candidates, raising hope that the world is closer to finding protection against Covid-19. At a meeting with chief ministers of states and Union Territories with the higher caseload, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that his government’s priority would be to ensure a vaccine reaches everyone after it meets scientific criteria.
At the virtual meeting, the Prime Minister asked chief ministers to start prepping for cold storage facilities for the vaccine against the coronavirus disease. Modi also told the state heads to ensure that the mortality rate due to Covid-19 remains below 1% and that the new cases must not exceed 5% of the existing level. He asked them to chalk out strategies regarding the disease control and vaccine distribution and share with him at the earliest.
Russia on Tuesday said that its vaccine candidate Sputnik V was 95% effective and would be cheaper and easier to store than some alternatives. The vaccine will cost less than $10 a dose and be available in international markets from February 2021, said its developer Gamaleya Center and the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
The global caseload has surpassed 59,759,535 with the United States continuing to report the maximum number of Covid-19 cases at 12,589,229. The coronavirus disease has claimed 1,407,873 lives worldwide.
