India’s daily COVID-19 infections drop to 1,549; positivity rate at 0.4 pc

New Delhi: Continuing with the declining trend of COVID-19 cases, India logged 1,549 new cases on Monday with 3,84,499 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.

The COVID-19 cases had dropped below the 2,000 mark on Sunday with 1,761 fresh infections detected across the country. As per government data, India’s active caseload currently stands at 25,106. It accounts for 0.06 per cent of the country’s total positive cases.

In the last 24 hours, 31 people succumbed to the virus. The death toll is now at 5,16,510 and the case fatality rate remained stagnant at 1.20 per cent.

With 2,652 recoveries from the infection reported in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recoveries mounted to 4,24,67,774. The recovery rate also remained the same as yesterday – 98.74 per cent.

Both the daily and weekly positivity rates also remained the same at 0.40 per cent.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive, the coverage has exceeded 181.24 crores. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a statement said that 1,81,24,97,303 vaccine doses have been administered so far, as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,14,03,116 sessions, it said.

In the vaccination drive for children in the age group 12-14 years, which started on March 16 this year, 17,99,684 doses of the Corbevax vaccine have been administered. It is the only vaccine being given to this age group.

‘Precaution dose’, whose identified beneficiaries include frontline workers, healthcare workers and those above the age of 60 years, have been given to 2,17,49,035 people so far. Of these, 43,59,722 were given to healthcare workers, 66,66,494 to frontline workers and 1,07,22,819 to people above the age of 60 years.

A total of 5,62,15,365 first doses and 3,55,29,066 second doses have been administered to children in the age group 15-18 years. They are being administered Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin.

Meanwhile, the ministry in a statement said that more than 183.52 crores (1,83,52,25,060) vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through the government’s free of cost channel and through the direct state procurement category.

Over 17.21 crore (17,21,00,256) balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs to be administered, it further stated.