Maharashtra, Punjab, Three Other States Witnessing Surge In COVID-19 Cases: Centre

New Delhi: Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat are reporting a surge in daily COVID-19 cases and the five states together account for 77.44 per cent of the new infections, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday (March 24). A total 47,262 new cases were registered in a span of 24 hours. Six states cumulatively account for 81.65 per cent of the new cases. Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 28,699. It is followed by Punjab with 2,254 and Karnataka with 2,010 cases. “Eight states have reported a higher weekly positivity rate than the national average (4.11 per cent). Maharashtra leads with a weekly positivity rate of 20.53 per cent,” the ministry said.

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India’s total active caseload has reached 3,68,457 on Wednesday, accounting for 3.14 per cent of the total infections. A net rise of 23,080 in active cases was recorded in a span of 24 hours. The ministry said India has crossed a significant milestone in the fight against the global pandemic with the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country having crossed five crore.

The ministry said 5,08,41,286 vaccine doses have been administered through 8,23,046 sessions, according to a provisional report till Wednesday 7 am. These include 79,17,521 healthcare workers (first dose), 50,20,695 healthcare workers (second dose), 83,62,065 frontline workers (first dose) and 30,88,639 frontline workers (second Dose), 47,01,894 beneficiaries aged more than 45 years with specific co-morbidities (first dose), and 2,17,50,472 beneficiaries aged more than 60 years.

Eight states account for 60 per cent of the cumulative vaccine doses given so far. India’s cumulative recoveries have surged to 1,12,05,160 with 23,907 recoveries being registered in a span of 24 hours. A total of 275 deaths were reported in a day. Six states account for 83.27 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (132). Punjab follows with 53 daily deaths and Chhattisgarh reported 20 deaths in the last 24 hours. Twelve states and union territories have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. These are Odisha, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, Manipur, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

Also Read: India’s Coronavirus Vaccination: People Above 45 Years Of Age To Get COVID-19 Vaccine From April 1

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.