Eight States Showing Rising Trajectory in Covid-19 Cases: Health Ministry

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A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states and UTs, including Delhi and Maharashtra, while Kerala is showing a declining trend, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry said Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab cumulatively account for 76.22 per cent of India’s total active caseload, with Maharashtra contributing to 62 per cent of such cases, while Kerala and Punjab account for 8.83 per cent and 5.36 per cent of active cases respectively.

The top five districts in Maharashtra recording the highest number of cases are Pune (37,384), Nagpur (25,861), Mumbai (18,850), Thane (16,735) and Nashik (11,867). The top five districts in Kerala recording the highest number of cases are Ernakulam (2,673), Pathanamthitta (2,482), Kannur (2,263), Palakkad (2,147) and Thrissur (2,065).

The top five districts in Punjab recording the highest number of cases are Jalandhar (2,131), SAS Nagar (1,868), Patiala (1,685), Ludhiana (1,643) and Hoshiarpur (1,572). “A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states. These are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana. Kerala is showing a consistently declining trend,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry further said that five states account for 81.38 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 70, Punjab followed with 38 daily deaths and Kerala reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, fifteen states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

The ministry further said India has scaled a significant peak in its battle against COVID-19 pandemic. The total vaccination coverage has surpassed 4 crore. “About 4,20,63,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 6,86,469 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. These include 77,06,839 healthcare workers (HCWs) (first dose), 48,04,285 HCWs (second dose), 79,57,606 frontline workers (FLWs)(first dose) and 24,17,077 FLWs (second dose), 32,23,612 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 1,59,53,973 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years,” it said.

As on day 63 of the vaccination drive (March 19), 27,23,575 vaccine doses were given. Eighty per cent of the 27.23 lakh vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours are from 10 states. Of the total, 24,15,800 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 38,989 sessions for first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 3,07,775 HCWs and FLWs received second dose of vaccine.

The ministry said eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far. They are Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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Eight states showing rising trajectory in Covid-19 cases: Health ministry | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states and UTs, including Delhi and Maharashtra, while Kerala is showing a declining trend, the health ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry said Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab cumulatively account for 76.22 per cent of India’s total active caseload, with Maharashtra contributing to 62 per cent of such cases, while Kerala and Punjab account for 8.83 per cent and 5.36 per cent of active cases respectively.
The top five districts in Maharashtra recording the highest number of cases are Pune (37,384), Nagpur (25,861), Mumbai (18,850), Thane (16,735) and Nashik (11,867).
The top five districts in Kerala recording the highest number of cases are Ernakulam (2,673), Pathanamthitta (2,482), Kannur (2,263), Palakkad (2,147) and Thrissur (2,065).
The top five districts in Punjab recording the highest number of cases are Jalandhar (2,131), SAS Nagar (1,868), Patiala (1,685), Ludhiana (1,643) and Hoshiarpur (1,572).
“A rising trajectory of daily new cases is visible in eight states. These are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana. Kerala is showing a consistently declining trend,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry further said that five states account for 81.38 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 70, Punjab followed with 38 daily deaths and Kerala reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, fifteen states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Assam, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
The ministry further said India has scaled a significant peak in its battle against COVID-19 pandemic. The total vaccination coverage has surpassed 4 crore.
“About 4,20,63,392 vaccine doses have been administered through 6,86,469 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today. These include 77,06,839 healthcare workers (HCWs) (first dose), 48,04,285 HCWs (second dose), 79,57,606 frontline workers (FLWs) (first dose) and 24,17,077 FLWs (second dose), 32,23,612 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose) and 1,59,53,973 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years,” it said.
As on day 63 of the vaccination drive (March 19), 27,23,575 vaccine doses were given. Eighty per cent of the 27.23 lakh vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours are from 10 states.
Of the total, 24,15,800 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 38,989 sessions for first dose (HCWs and FLWs) and 3,07,775 HCWs and FLWs received second dose of vaccine.
The ministry said eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far. They are Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

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Govt Panel Says Superspreader Events Like Weddings Behind Recent Coronavirus Surge, National Covid Task Force Warns Country in Midst of Second Wave

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Superspreader events like weddings might have led to the recent resurgence of Covid-19 cases in India, a preliminary assessment by the Union government suggests adding that people were found becoming less careful in the recent months when the daily cases were low.

“That (role of superspreader events) is what it looks like, as people have become lax in their behaviour. We must understand that there is still a large section of population that is vulnerable, especially in villages. We cannot afford to lower our guard at this stage, and should avoid mass gatherings as it can become superspreading events,” Dr VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog reportedly said, according to Hindustan Times.

India on Friday recorded around 40,000 new coronavirus infections, the highest single day rise recorded so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally of cases to 1,15,14,331, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The daily rise in infections (39,726) was the highest recorded in 110 days, while the death toll increased to 1,59,370 with 154 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Dr Paul said that testing, especially RT-PCR testing needs to be increased in districts reporting high positivity rate.

Some experts also said that the country is in midst of second Covid wave and it could witness even more cases in the coming weeks.

“We are in the midst of second wave of Covid. 1,00,000 new cases could be added in the next 6-8 weeks if specific steps aren’t taken,” Dr NK Arora, Head, Operations Research group of National Covid-19 Task Force told CNBC TV18.

Punjab authorities said that they had found at least 30 super-spreader instances, where more than 10 cases were recorded from a single event.

“In around 75-80 percent of the cases, patients were found asymptomatic or with mild symptoms. Contact tracing, after one person from the event was found, led to detection in these functions,” a nodal officer reportedly said.

Doctors in Delhi also blame weddings, social outings and get-togethers for the current surge in cases.

“I have personally seen several cases where groups of people got the infection at a wedding. There are cases where five to six people in one group who travel for a destination wedding get it. Then, there are kitty parties where four to five people have contracted the infection. We need to change our behaviour, there is no other way to control the spread of the infection,” Surajit Chaterjee, senior consultant at Apollo hospital said.

Recently, a large gathering of people in a funeral turned into a superspreading even in Telangana where 33 people got infected after attending a funeral on February 18.

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Maha, Punjab Tighten Covid-19 Curbs; India Records Biggest Surge in Cases in 4 Months

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Maharashtra and Punjab, which are recording a surge in new COVID-19 cases, tightened curbs on Friday and the chief minister of the western state said lockdown is an option, as India added close to 40,000 cases in the biggest daily increase in nearly four months. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, meanwhile, told Parliament that the COVID-19 vaccination drive will be extended in the coming days, and asserted there should not be any misconceptions about the two Indian vaccines being administered inthe country. He also said it is not necessary, scientifically, to administer the vaccine to each and every person in the country.

The Maharashtra government issued a notification asking drama halls/auditoriums to operate only at 50 per cent of their capacity till March 31, and warned they will have to remain closed for a period until the pandemic stays notified as a disaster by the Centre if there is any violation. Private offices, except those related to health and other essential services, have been asked to function only at 50 per cent of their capacity, it said.

A day after Maharashtra witnessed the highest one-day spike of 25,833 COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said lockdown is an option but he trusts people to follow the norms on their own. On Friday, the state recorded 25,681 cases, a health official said, adding Mumbai reported the highest spike of 3,062 new infections. Talking to reporters in Nandurbar, Thackeray also appealed to people to get vaccinated against the virus without fear.

The chief minister acknowledged that the COVID-19 situation has become grimmer as the number of new cases on Thursday crossed the earlier highest rise which was recorded in September. “I see lockdown as an option going ahead. But I trust people of the state to cooperate (and follow the COVID-19 norms voluntarily) like the last time.” After a review meeting, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered a slew of restrictions beginning Saturday which included closing of all educational institutions till the month-end and curbs on cinema and mall capacities.

States likeMaharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarhare reporting a surge in the daily COVID-19 cases, accounting for over 80 per cent of the new infections, the Union Health Ministry said. Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases at 25,833 which is 65 per cent of daily cases. It is followed by Punjab with 2,369 while Kerala reported 1,899 new cases, the ministry said in its morning update. The new cases in Punjab rose by 2,490 on Friday, according to a state medical bulletin.

According to the ministry data updated on Friday. India reported 39,726 new coronavirus infections in a day, the highest single-day rise recorded so far this year, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,15,14,331. The daily rise was the highest recorded in 110 days, while the death toll increased to 1,59,370 with 154 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. As many as 41,810 new infections were registered during a 24-hour period on November 29 last.

Registering an increase for the ninth day in a row, the total active caseload has reached 2,71,282, which now comprises 2.36 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 96.26 per cent, the data stated. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,10,83,679, while the case fatality rate has further to 1.38 per cent, it said.

Eight states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryanaare showing an upward trajectory in daily new cases. The notification issued by the Maharashtra government said that in case of government and semi-government offices, the head of the office will take a decision regarding the staff attendance and ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

As per the notification, drama halls and auditoriums will not be used for religious, political, cultural and social gatherings. On March 15, the state government had notified that cinema halls, hotels, restaurants and offices, except those related to health and essential services, will function at 50 per cent of their capacity.

But the Friday’s order has included drama halls and auditoriums as well. The order, however, allowed the manufacturing sector to function at full capacity, but advised that the workforce be reduced to ensure adequate social distancing on the production floor.

For the purpose of maintaining social distancing, manufacturing units may be allowed to increase working shifts as approved by local authorities. to check COVID surge. In the 11 worst-hit districts in Punjab, a complete ban has been ordered on all social gatherings, except for funerals and weddings, which will be allowed with only 20 persons in attendance. This will be enforced from Sunday.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appealed to people to keep social activity at their homes to the bare minimum for the next two weeks to break the transmission chain, according to an official statement released in Chandigarh. Not more than 10 visitors should be entertained in homes, he urged chairing a meeting of the COVID task force.

“All educational institutions, other than medical and nursing colleges, will remain closed till March 31,” the official statement said. The chief minister also ordered compulsory wearing of face mask, directing police and the health authorities to take all those found in public areas without it to the nearest testing facility to ensure they are not asymptomatic cases.

The situation will be reviewed after two weeks, he said. Dr K K Talwar, who heads the state government’s expert team on coronavirus, told the chief minister that the surge in cases appeared to be the result of the opening of schools and colleges, with young asymptomatic people appearing to be spreading the virus.

During the Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Vardhan said India has vaccinated 3.5 to 4 crore people so far and side effects of the vaccines have been recorded at 0.000432 per cent. “Every vaccine doesn’t require universal immunisation and all these priority groups whom we are vaccinating today like healthcare staff first and then senior citizens and people aged between 45 and 59 years, it will be extended in the coming days all these are based on experts’ opinion.

“Not only Indian experts, but we have also consulted WHO guidelines regarding priority groups.” Serum Institute’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin have been currently approved for restricted emergency use in India. Replying to a question by NCP MP Supriya Sule on whether the government is aiming at universal immunisation of COVID-19 vaccine, Vardhan said it is not scientifically necessary to administer the vaccine to each and every person in the country.

“Not each and every person in the world will be vaccinated. The prioritisation process is a dynamic process. “The behaviour of the virus is also dynamic. All things are based on scientific facts, scrutiny and vision of the overall scientific and health community,” he said.

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Will Navjot Singh Sidhu Make A Comeback in Punjab Cabinet? Official Word Awaits

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File photos of Navjot Singh Sidhu

The cricketer-turned-politician, Sidhu, who had resigned from the Punjab cabinet in 2019 after being removed from a key portfolio, had met Amarinder Singh at latter’s farmhouse in Mohali.

  • News18 Chandigarh
  • Last Updated:March 18, 2021, 19:04 IST
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Even after Wednesday’s crucial tea meeting that went on for nearly 50 minutes between Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his bête noire Navjot Singh Sidhu, the talks regarding possibility of latter’s reinduction into the state cabinet continue to remain uncertain.

The cricketer-turned-politician, Sidhu, who had resigned from the Punjab cabinet in 2019 after being removed from a key portfolio, had met Amarinder Singh at latter’s farmhouse in Mohali.

“It was a good meeting. We have a cordial relation and I am waiting for him to reply. I am sure he will decide on what is in favour of the party and the state,” said Amarinder Singh on being asked about the meeting. He added that he had known Sidhu for decades now and he will do what is good for the party and the state.

“As far as the Congress is concerned, the party wants him back fast and play an active role for the benefit of the party and the state,” the Chief Minister said.

Though he refused to dwell further on the matter but his statement clearly indicated that an offer for rejoining the cabinet had been offered to Sidhu and now it was on him to respond. According to sources aware of development, the delay from Sidhu could be on account of his expectation to get a better deal than just a cabinet berth. “If he was to take the same role why did he leave it in the first place only. He would not have resigned only if getting a cabinet berth was the only interest,” said a Congress leader.

Sidhu, on his part continued to remain incommunicado to the media, though he continued to send out cryptic tweets.

Meanwhile, speaking about other dissenters in Congress like Rajya Sabha members Partap Sigh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo, the Chief Minister said for the benefit of the party they should leave their personal interests and work in favour of the party and state.



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Covid-19: India’s rate of inoculation fastest in world, says health secy | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India has witnessed the “speediest acceleration” of administration of Covid-19 vaccine doses, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, highlighting that on March 15, India accounted for 36% of the 8.34 million shots given across the world.
As of March 15, India administered the second highest number of vaccine doses at around 3.3 crore in 60 days. The US leads with 10 crore doses though it started its vaccination programme around a month before India. The UK — which was the first to start Covid-19 vaccination — inoculated only 2.6 crore doses in 98 days, Bhushan said.
India administered over 3.6 crore vaccine doses till 7pm on Wednesday. Of this, 1.5 crore health and frontline workers have received their first doses, whereas 1.2 crore doses have been given to those above 60 and 23.8 lakh to people aged between 45 and 60 years with co-morbidities. Apart from these, 63.9 lakh health and frontline workers have received their second doses.
In the last two weeks (March 1-15), India administered an average of 13.1 lakh doses per day. While Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat had the highest average ranging between 1.5 lakh and 1.2 lakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were among the poor performers. On Wednesday, 14 lakh doses were given till 7pm.

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A Photo, a Tweet Fuel Truce Bid Post Amarinder-Sidhu ‘Chai Pe Charcha’

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This was the second meeting between the two leaders after Sidhu resigned from Cabinet in 2019.

The 50 minute-long meeting held at the CM’s house may have cleared the decks for the re-induction of Navjot Singh Sidhu into the Punjab Cabinet.

  • News18
  • Last Updated:March 17, 2021, 22:55 IST
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Have decks been cleared for the re-induction of Navjot Singh Sidhu into the Punjab Cabinet after a ‘tea’ meeting with the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday? If optics are anything to go by, the answer could be in the affirmative.

As soon as the 50 minute-long meeting held at the CM’s residence ended, the Media adviser to the Chief Minister, Raveen Thukral shared a picture of the two leaders smiling with a caption, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. Soon after, the photo was shared by many Congress leaders and also the Punjab Congress Twitter handles fuelling speculations that a truce had been arrived at between the two and Sidhu could well be on way back into the state Cabinet.

This was the second meeting between the two leaders after Sidhu resigned from Cabinet in 2019. Sidhu was accompanied by Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi to the CM’s residence but sources said that the meeting by and large was a one-on-one affair.

Officially, the neither the CM’s office nor the party has made any comment on the outcome of the meeting but sources indicated that the re-induction of Sidhu into the Cabinet seemed quite likely with him being offered two portfolios of his interest.

Sidhu refused to talk to the waiting media crew but soon after tweeted, ‘Azad Raho Vicharoan Se Lekin Badhe Raho Sanskaroan Se.. Tankee Aas Aur Vishwas rahe Kirdaroan pe’.

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Cong MP Urges Centre to Resolve Farmers’ Issue

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File photo of Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.

Ravneet Singh Bittu said the farmers have contributed most to the growth of India and many of them have even protected the country at the borders.

  • PTI New Delhi
  • Last Updated:March 17, 2021, 15:17 IST
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The Congress on Wednesday urged the Centre to resolve the ongoing farmers’ protests over three agriculture laws and warned that if turmoil begins again in Punjab, the whole country will suffer. Raising the issue of farmers protests in Lok Sabha, the leader of the Congress party in the Lower House, Ravneet Singh Bittu, also requested Speaker Om Birla to invite leaders of all political parties for a meeting to find a solution to the demands of the tillers.

Bittu said the farmers have contributed most to the growth of India and many of them have even protected the country at the borders. He said action must be taken as early as possible to find a solution to the ongoing farmers’ protests, else the situation may aggravate.

Bittu said Punjab, from where most of the farmers have come for the protests at Delhi’s borders, is a border state and explosives were being transported across the border on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) every day. ”Earlier, just one drone used to come from across the border. Now, every day 30 to 40 drones are coming with 30 to 40 kg of RDX and other explosives. You have to try to find a solution. Because if there is turmoil again in Punjab, the whole country will suffer,” he said.

The farmers have been protesting at Delhi’s borders since November-end blocking major roads demanding repeal of three agriculture laws enacted last year.

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Army committed to weed out corruption | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: The Army says it proactively handed over the case involving bribes and irregularities in the selection of officers to the CBI to ensure such corruption was weeded out from within the 13-lakh force.
The CBI has lodged an FIR against 17 Army personnel, including six Lt-Colonels, two Majors and two cadets of the Officers’ Training Academy (Chennai), as well as six civilians for being allegedly involved in the scam at the Services Selection Board (SSB) centre at Kapurthala in Punjab and elsewhere.
“The personnel who have acted against our ethos and reputation will be taken to task. The Army is committed to weed out corruption from within the organisation,” said a senior officer.
The Army did the “entire groundwork” in the case, which included listing out the various accused, before handing it over to the CBI. “The CBI was brought in since there were some civilians and other entities involved, while the money trail also needed to be probed and investigated,” said the officer.
Army chief General M M Naravane has several times stated that corruption within the force will neither be tolerated nor condoned. “Swift arrests and the handing over of the investigation to CBI shows the resolve to take the case to its logical conclusion,” said the officer.
“The Army does not believe in cover-ups in the garb that it will tarnish the image of the organisation. We would also like to send a message to the youth of the country who aspire to join the force to not fall prey to false promises of touts and unscrupulous elements,” he added.

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7 states account for 87.73 per cent of the new cases reported in a day | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: States like Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are showing a steep rise in the daily new Covid-19 cases and have accounted for 87.73 per cent of the new instances of the disease reported in a day, the Union health ministry said on Sunday.
Maharashtra registered the highest daily new cases at 15,602, followed by Kerala with 2,035 and Punjab 1,510 new cases.
India’s total Covid-19 active caseload has reached 2.10 lakh, the ministry said adding Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab account for 76.93 per cent of India’s total active cases.
The total number of recoveries in the country has surged to 1,09,89,897 with 16,637 people recuperating from the disease in a day. The ministry said 83.13 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in six states.
Maharashtra has reported a maximum number of 7,467 single-day recoveries.
The ministry said 161 deaths were reported in a day.
Six states account for 84.47 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties at 88. Punjab reported 22 fatalities and Kerala 12.
Fourteen states and Union territories have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the country is nearing 3 crore cumulative vaccination doses.
A total of 2,97,38,409 vaccine doses have been administered through 5,10,400 sessions, according to a provisional report till Sunday at 7am.
Of these, 73,47,895 healthcare and 11,35,573 frontline workers were given the first dose, while 42,95,201 healthcare and 73,32,641 frontline workers were given the second dose.
Also, 14,40,092 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities and 81,87,007 senior citizens have received the first dose of the vaccine so far.
As on day 57 of the vaccination drive, more than 15 lakh vaccine doses were given. Out of which, 12,32,131 beneficiaries were vaccinated across 24,086 sessions for the first dose and 2,87,821 healthcare and frontline workers received the second dose of vaccine.
Besides,8,95,291 vaccine beneficiaries are aged over 60 years and 1,85,624 individuals are aged 45 to 60 years with comorbidities.

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