NEW DELHI, Jul 15 (NNN-PTI) – India today recorded over 20,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 for the second straight day. According to the federal health ministry data, released this morning, 20,038 new cases of COVID-19 were reported during the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 43,710,027, in the country. With this, India’s active caseload currently stands at 139,073.
The country also logged 47 related deaths during this period, which has pushed the overall death toll to 525,604, since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.
The daily positivity rate stands at 4.44 percent, and the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 4.30 percent, the ministry data showed.
Meanwhile, the government’s drive to provide free booster doses of vaccine to all adults at government centres, began today. According to officials, the exercise, aimed at improving the booster dose coverage, will be carried out over the next 75 days.
India’s federal Health Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, today urged eligible population to take the precautionary doses. Health officials said, the new move has been taken to increase vaccination coverage among the population, in wake of the detection of new variants.
Reports say, so far, less than one percent of the target population in the 18-59 age group have been administered the precautionary dose.
Previously, the government had asked people to get booster doses at private health facilities against payment. However, the directive has not elicited a desired response.
The detection of super contagious omicron mutant (BA.2.75), that has begun to gain ground in India, has worried health officials. There are fears that the new mutant may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infections.– NNN-PTI
