86% decline in Covid cases, pregnant women now eligible for jabs

The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that there has been 86% decline in Covid cases in India since the peak of the second wave in the country. It also announced that pregnant women are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.

Addressing a press conference, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “Under the continued focus of clinical management, the recovery rate, which was at 81.1% on May 3rd, is now at around 97%.”

Announcing that pregnant women are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, the ministry said they may register on CoWIN portal or walk in to the nearest vaccination centre to get the jab.

Health Ministry further added, “The operational Guideline for vaccinating pregnant women, Counselling Kit for Medical Officers and FLWs, and IEC material for the public has been shared with States/UTs for its implementation.”

The ministry also said that the decision empowers pregnant women to make an informed choice on taking the Covid vaccination.

Pregnant women have been at increased risk of getting infected with the virus which could also result in rapid deterioration of health and affect the fetus too.

The Centre, meanwhile, rushed Covid-19 teams to six states — Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur — that are reporting a high number of coronavirus infections. These teams are designated for the control and containment of the virus.

India recorded 46,617 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours on Friday, taking the country’s total to over 3.04 crore. Out of these, active cases declined to over 5.09 lakh while over 2.95 crore people have recovered after testing positive. Kerala continues to be the only state reporting more than 10,000 cases a day. With 853 new deaths, the death toll surpassed 4 lakh. Maharashtra accounts for 1.25 lakh of these, while Karnataka has reported over 35,000. Tamil Nadu has seen more than 32,000 deaths till now.