India records 602 fresh Covid-19 cases, active tally at 4,440

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Five new Covid-19 fatalities have been recorded in the country and 602 fresh Covid-19 cases, the health ministry said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

The number of active Covid-19 cases of the infection has been recorded at 4,440, reported PTI.

While two new fatalities have been recorded from Kerala, one each has been reported from Karnataka, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

In Kerala, one of the deceased was a 66-year-old man who was suffering from chronic liver disease, multiple organ disfunction syndrome and sepsis, while the other one was a 79-year old woman who had coronary artery disease and sepsis, reported PTI.

The number of daily cases of Covid had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions, reported PTI.

The daily numbers were in lakhs during the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country, reported PTI.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website, reported PTI.

According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 105 fresh coronavirus positive cases and zero fatalities, the health department said, reported PTI.

So far, the state has reported a total of 32 cases of the JN.1 sub-variant of the virus, it said, reported PTI.

With the fresh cases, the state's overall case tally rose to 81,73,011 and toll to 1,48,567, it added, reported PTI.

On Monday, the state recorded 70 cases and zero fatalities.

Of the 32 cases of JN.1 variant reported in the state till now, 17 are from Pune, 12 from Thane, three from Beed, two from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and one each from Akola, Sindhudurg, Nashik and Satara, reported PTI.

It said the week from December 27 to January 2 recorded 811 cases, a sharp spike from 194 from the preceding week from December 20 to 26. There are 799 active cases in the state, it said, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)