Covid-19: Active cases below 7 lakh after 79 days

A health worker escorts an elderly woman to receive a Covid-19 dose, in Thiruvanantha-puram, Kerala, on Tuesday. Pics/PTI

India recorded 42,640 new Coronavirus infections, the lowest in 91 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday morning. The death toll climbed to 3,89,302 with a little over 1,100 daily fatalities, the lowest in 68 days. Active cases fell below 7 lakh to 6,62,521 after 79 days. While the Centre hailed the ‘historic milestone' with the administration of 86.16 lakh doses on Monday, a day later, Andhra Pradesh said it was running very low on vaccines. » P10

On Sunday, 13.72 lakh vaccines were administered all over Andhra Pradesh, out of 14 lakh vaccines doses available in the state. In Krishna district, 1.36 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Sunday. However, the vaccination pace slowed down on Tuesday, said Mahesh Yarlagadda, medical officer at Labbipet Urban Primary Health Centre. For Tuesday, only 200 vaccine doses were available at the centre, where only second dose beneficiaries of Covaxin, aged 45 years and above, are being inoculated.

A beneficiary receives his first dose at a drive-through vaccination centre, in New Delhi

‘White paper' by Cong

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took a swipe at the prime minister for turning emotional while talking about Covid-19 deaths in his address to the nation, and said the deaths have been needless and could have been avoided.

"The PM's tears cannot wipe the tears of those who lost the lives of their kin. The PM's tears did not save the lives of those who died, but oxygen could have saved them," he said.

Customers shop after further ease in curbs, in Kolkata, on Tuesday

He also released a "white paper" by the party on the Centre's Covid-19 handling, saying, "It is pretty clear that the management of the first and second wave was disastrous."

"This is a blue print on how to react to the third wave, which is going to come. It is our intention to provide the government with information and insights on what went wrong," he told reporters at a virtual press conference. The purpose of this white paper is not to finger point at the government, but to help the nation prepare for the third wave that is going to come.

"The idea behind our white paper report is to provide insights and information so that avoidable deaths can be prevented in the coming waves. GOI must work on our constructive inputs in the interest of the country," he tweeted.

1,167
No. of fresh Covid-19 fatalities recorded on Tuesday morning

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