The government maintained that 90 per cent of the Covid-19 cases in India are being driven by the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant
A health worker inoculates an elderly man at his village, as he was unable to reach the vaccination centre in Sundarbans area of south 24Parganas district, on Friday. Pic/AFP
The other states reporting Delta Plus variant cases are Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka, the Centre said.
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The government maintained that 90 per cent of the Covid-19 cases in India are being driven by the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant. “Covid-19 variants of concern have been found in 174 districts in 35 states/UTs,” it added.
It added that the second wave of Covid-19 is not yet over in country as 75 districts still have more than 10 per cent prevalence and 92 districts have 5-10 per cent prevalence of coronavirus. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked the government why “large-scale testing is not being done” to check and prevent the spread of the Delta Plus variant.
The Union Ministry of Health also announced on Friday that pregnant women can be vaccinated against Covid-19, said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava. “The vaccine is useful for pregnant women and it should be given.”
On whether Covid-19 shots can be administered to children is still a debatable question, until enough data is available, Bharagava said.
According to the health ministry’s Friday morning data update, India recorded 51,667 new infections and 1,329 deaths in the last 24 hours.
‘States’ indebtedness to worsen despite economic rebound over next 2 years’
S&P Global Ratings on Friday said the pandemic could worsen structural deficits and indebtedness of states, despite a likely rebound in the economy over the next 12-24 months. The US-based rating agency estimates revenues of states to increase by an average of 17 per cent annually over fiscals 2021-2023. S&P said it will be hard for state governments to rapidly scale down elevated expenditures induced by Covid-19. The pandemic has led to increased spending on healthcare, social safety and digital infrastructure. The agency believes the extraordinary support from the central government and the Reserve Bank of India will remain a key pillar for states’ fiscal framework and performance.
3,01,34,445
Total no. of Coronavirus cases in India so far
3,93,310
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India so far
6,12,868
Total no. of active cases in India
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