India’s daily Covid cases dropped below the 3 lakh-mark for the first time in 25 days with 2.81 lakh fresh infections reported in the last 24 hours. 

The fall in the cases could also be because of the fewer tests conducted on Sunday. As many as 15.73 lakh tests were conducted on Sunday as against an average of 18 to 19 lakh. 

Meanwhile, 4,106 Covid patients have died since yesterday.

The active cases in the country also registered a drop of over a lakh — highest ever — and now stand at 35.16 lakh.

Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have extended curbs to check Covid spread over the weekend.

To control the second wave in the country, the Centre has shared new SOPs to tackle the spread in rural parts, which have been hit hard by the second wave of Covid. Village-level surveillance, tele-consultation with community health officers, and training in rapid antigen testing are among the several areas of focus.

Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech on Sunday said its Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ has been found to be effective against coronavirus strains found in India and the UK. Citing a study published in peer-reviewed medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, the Hyderabad-based vaccine major noted that vaccination with Covaxin produced neutralising titers against all key emerging variants tested, including B.1.617 and B.1.1.7, first identified in India and the UK, respectively.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4.

Source: The Indian Express

BDST: 1410 HRS, May 17, 2021
SMS