NEW DELHI, May 15 (NNN-PTI) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India rose to 24,372,907, and the death toll reached 266,207 this morning, India’s federal health ministry said.
During the past 24 hours, 326,098 new cases and 3,890 related deaths were reported across the country.
According to the ministry, 20,432,898 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement.
The number of active cases in the country is 3,673,802, according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, a total of 313,017,193 samples have been tested across the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said today. Out of these tests, 1,693,093 were conducted yesterday alone.
According to the ministry, 18,0457,579 people have been vaccinated across the country, since the beginning of the vaccination drive on Jan 16.
On May 1, the third phase of COVID-19 vaccinations was started for people who are 18 years old and above. However, the third phase of vaccination is yet to start in many places or is going on at a slower pace in the wake of severe shortage of vaccines.
Confirmed cases continue to spike every day, but the federal government ruled out imposing a complete countrywide lockdown, to contain the worsening situation. However, many states imposed night curfews, weekend lockdowns and complete lockdowns, to break the spread.
A top scientific adviser to the Indian government, K Vijay Raghavan, recently warned the country would face a third wave of the pandemic.
Currently, India is fighting a deadly second wave, and the shortage of essential medical supplies, including medical oxygen, has emerged as a key challenge for the government.– NNN-PTI
