NEW DELHI, May 16 (NNN-PTI) – The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India, this morning rose to 24,684,007, and the related death toll across the country stands at 270,284, India’s federal health ministry said.
During the past 24 hours, 311,170 new cases and 4,077 related deaths were reported from across the country. According to ministry officials, 20,795,335 people have been discharged from hospitals, after showing improvement.
The number of active cases in the country right now is 3,618,458, the information released by the ministry further read. So far, over 314 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.
A cumulative total of 31,48,50,143 samples had been tested as of yesterday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said today. Out of these tests, 1,832,950 were conducted yesterday alone.
According to the ministry, over 182 million people have been vaccinated, since the beginning of the vaccination drive on Jan 16 this year.
On May 1, the third phase of COVID-19 vaccinations was started for people who are 18 years 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 the severe shortage of vaccines.
Reports pouring in from many states said, people are being turned away at the centres because of the shortage of vaccines.
The COVID-19 cases continue to spike every day, even as the federal government ruled out imposing a complete countrywide lockdown, on the pattern of last year, to contain the worsening situation. However, many states have imposed night curfews, weekend lockdowns and complete lockdowns to break the spread of infection.
From today, a 14-day lockdown will come into force in the eastern India state of West Bengal, to contain the spread of COVID-19.
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
