India: Daily Covid-19 cases down, but casualties up

The death toll climbed to 4,51,814 with 379 fresh fatalities. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.43 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.42 per cent

India: Daily Covid-19 cases down, but casualties up

A crowded Dadar market, in Mumbai, on Thursday. Pic/PTI

India logged 16,862 new Coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 2,03,678, the lowest in 216 days, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Friday morning. The death toll climbed to 4,51,814 with 379 fresh fatalities. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.43 per cent. The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 1.42 per cent.

Meanwhile, the Union health secretary has requested the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for an early and timely action to fill up the vacancies in nine senior posts. In a letter to the DoPT, he stated the vacancies have put the ministry under “acute stress” as it is required to put in extra efforts to ensure full preparedness across the country even though the pandemic is declining.

Herd immunity against Delta difficult: Study

The second wave in Delhi has highlighted the challenges of reaching herd immunity against the Delta vari-ant, states an international team of scientists. “The situation in Delhi shows that infection with previous Covid variants will be insufficient for reaching herd immunity against Delta,” said Professor Ravi Gupta from Cambridge University, a co-author of the study published in Science journal on Thursday. “The only way of ending or preventing Delta outbreaks is either by infection with it or using vaccine boosters that raise antibody levels high enough to overcome Delta’s ability to evade neutralisation.”

3,40,37,592
Total no. of Coronavirus cases in India so far

4,51,814
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far

2,03,678
Total no. of active cases in India

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