India’s Covid-19 caseload crossed the 65-lakh mark, with 1,069 deaths in the last 24 hours. The death toll also climbed to 1,01,782, while the number of people who have recovered from the disease crossed 55 lakhs, as per latest data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
India posted high daily testing numbers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with 10,97,947, 11,32,675 and 11,42,131 tests conducted, respectively. «There has been an exponential rise in India›s daily testing capacities. More than 15 lakh tests can be conducted every day. An average of 11.5 lakh tests were done on a daily basis during the past ten days,» the MoHFW said.
The government also has plans to provide Covid vaccines to around 25 crore (250 million) people, out of the country’s 130 crore (1.3 billion) population, by July 2021, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday afternoon.
In related news, India and South Africa wrote to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive intellectual property rules to make it easier for developing countries to produce or import Covid-19 drugs. In a letter dated October 2, the two countries called on the global trade body to waive parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which governs patents, trademarks, copyright and other intellectual property rules globally.
Meanwhile, India continues to occupy the top position globally with regard to the maximum number of Covid-19 recoveries and accounts for 21% of recovered cases worldwide, even though its share in the total cases stands at 18.6%. India has also maintained its global position with one of the lowest Covid-19 case fatality rates (CFR) when compared to several other countries.
In Ladakh, 41 patients recovered, while a total of 3,315 recoveries were recorded till Saturday. However, 48 people tested positive with the infection, taking the virus caseload in the union territory to 4,477, officials said on Sunday. The total number of active cases in the region now stands at 1,101, which includes 769 in Leh and 332 in Kargil district. Ladakh also reported 61 Covid-related deaths.
Jammu and Kashmir reported 878 new Covid-19 cases and 1,053 recoveries on Sunday, taking the total tally in the union territory to 79,106, including 62,404 recoveries and 1,242 deaths. Active cases stand at 15,460 in the region.
Chandigarh reported 85 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 12,445 , which includes 1,673 active cases, 174 deaths and 10,598 cured cases.
In Rajasthan, 2,184 new Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths were reported. The total number of positive cases rose to 1,44,030, including 21,154 active cases and 1,545 deaths.
In Madhya Pradesh, as many as 1,811 new COVID-19 cases were recorded. The total number of positive cases in the state now stands at 1,33,918, including 19,807 active cases and 1,11,712 recoveries. With 27 new deaths, the cumulative death count of the state reached 2,101.
Odisha›s Covid-19 tally rose to 2,29,387 on Saturday, as 3,053 people tested positive for the infection. 17 fresh fatalities took the state›s coronavirus death count to 892. However, 1,98,194 people have also recovered from the infection so far and the recovery rate among Covid-19 patients in the state is at 86.40%. The situation also improved in Assam, as the positivity rate was reported as less than 3. “In the next two months, we are hopeful that we will be able to control the situation,” said Pijush Hazarika, Health Minister of Assam.
Mizoram recorded 17 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases in the state to 2,120, including 1,772 discharges. Active cases in the state stand presently at 348.
Nagaland›s Covid-19 tally also rose to 6,552 as 123 more people, including 42 security personnel, tested positive. 1,221 active cases were reported as of Sunday.
Arunachal Pradesh recorded 201 more people – including eight security personnel and 17 healthcare workers – testing positive for Covid-19 on Sunday, which pushed the state›s caseload to 10,421. Of the 201 fresh cases, 80 were reported from the Capital Complex region, Changlang and 121 from other districts.
The Covid-19 tally in the coastal union territory of Puducherry rose to 29,089 with the addition of 343 fresh cases, while the death toll mounted to 539 with five more fatalities, the government said on Sunday.
Telangana also reported 1,949 new Covid-19 cases, taking the state’s tally to nearly 2 lakhs, while 10 more deaths pushed the count to 1,163, a government bulletin stated. Active cases stood at 27,901 and the cumulative recovered cases rose to 1,70,212. The fresh infections took the total count to 1,99,276, and a total of 51,623 samples were tested on October 3.
Karnataka reported 10,145 new Covid-19 cases, 7,287 discharges and 67 deaths, taking the number of total cases to 6,40,661, including 5,15,782 discharges and 9,286 deaths. The number of active cases in the state stands at 1,15,574.
Meanwhile, Kerala recorded 8,553 new Covid-19 positive cases in the last 24 hours. There are 84,497 active cases in the state, but 1,44,471 people have recovered from the infection till date.
The Covid-19 tally of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 3,868 on Sunday as 10 more people tested positive for the infection. The union territory now has 173 active coronavirus cases, however, 3,642 people have also been cured of the disease. Unfortunately, 53 patients have died due to the infection so far, reports said. The administration had, till Saturday, sent 61,231 samples for Covid-19 tests, of which 22 reports are awaited.