New Delhi: India recorded 1,150 fresh infections in the past 24 hours, taking the cumulative tally to 4,30,34,217. The recovery rate at 98.76 per cent accounted for 1,194 recuperations in the last 24 hours taking the total recoveries to 4,25,01,196. The daily positivity rate is recorded at 0.25 per cent.
The number of active cases dipped to 11,365 accounting for 0.03 per cent of the total number of cases. The active cases reported a drop of 127 in the last 24 hours.
However, the mortality rate recorded at 1.21 per cent reported a spike in deaths adding 83 fatalities, taking the cumulative death toll to 5,21,656.
After the XE variant scare in Mumbai, sources claim detection of another case in Gujarat, reported to have a travel history. The patient tested positive for COVID-19 on March 13th and recovered in a week. The genome sequencing of the sample revealed the patient was infected with the sub-variant of Omicron. Additionally, the XM variant has also been detected sources said. Meanwhile the Union Health Ministry on Friday wrote to five states urging them to monitor closely the emerging spread of the virus and take pre-emptive measures to curtail the spread. Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and Mizoram are the five states that have started to show an upward trend in their COVID graphs, amidst the threat of XE variant being detected in India.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) Friday administered around 14.79 lakh COVID-19 vaccines taking the cumulative administrations to 185.55 crores. The centre on Friday also announced to extend the booster shot doses to adults above 18 years. However, these would not be administered free of costs like those being jabbed to adults above 60years, HCWs and FLWs. A price of Rs 600 per dose has been fixed by the centre for the dose that can be procured at any private vaccination centre from Sunday onwards.