Coronavirus: India reports less than 60K cases after 81 days
India on Sunday reported over 58,419 new COVID-19 cases., the first time in the past 81 days that the daily count fell under 60,000. India also reported 1,576 fresh COVID-19 deaths, the lowest in 63 days. As infections decline, experts warn a third wave may arrive sooner than expected. The lack of compliance to COVID-appropriate behavior was cited as a major reason.
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Sunday morning, India reported a total of 2,98,81,965 COVID-19 cases. The number of COVID-19 deaths climbed to 3,86,713. So far, 2,87,66,009 patients have recovered, while 7,29,243 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 67,208 new infections, 87,619 more discharges, and 1,576 fresh fatalities. 27,66,93,572 vaccine doses have been administered so far.
Maharashtra reported 8,912 new COVID-19 cases along with 10,373 more recoveries. Karnataka, the second worst-hit state after Maharashtra, reported 5,815 new cases and 11,832 discharges. Meanwhile, the third worst-hit Kerala added 12,443 new cases and 13,145 recoveries. Tamil Nadu, the fourth worst-hit state, reported 8,183 new cases and 18,232 recoveries. Andhra Pradesh reported 5,674 new cases and 8,014 recoveries.
The third wave of COVID-19 may hit India in six to eight weeks, said Dr. Randeep Guleria, the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. "As we have started unlocking, there is again a lack of COVID-appropriate behavior. We don't seem to have learned from what happened between the first and the second wave," Dr. Guleria said.
In light of a possible third wave, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla wrote to the administrations of all states and union territories on Saturday. States/UTs were asked to ensure that the easing of lockdowns should be "carefully calibrated." They were advised to track small outbreaks early so as to ensure that these are tackled through local containment measures at the micro-level.
The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (B.1.617.2)—which was first detected in India—is becoming the dominant variant globally, the World Health Organization's (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Friday. The variant has been detected in over 80 countries while another 12 countries and regions are "reporting the detection of B.1.617 without further specification of lineage at this time."
