India recorded 18,346 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest in 209 days, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,38,53,048, according to data from the Union Health Ministry data on Tuesday.

The active cases declined to 2,52,902, the lowest in 201 days. 

Besides, the death toll climbed to 4,49,260 with 263 fresh fatalities, the health ministry said. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has remained below 30,000 for 11th consecutive days.

While Kerala, which has been contributing over 60% to India’s Covid-19 tally, has started witnessing a declining trend in daily Coronavirus infections, Mizoram and some parts of Maharashtra have seen a spike in new cases in recent days. Several states have extended Covid-19 restrictions ahead of the festival season in order to limit the spread of the virus.

Ahead of the main festive season, the Ahmednagar district administration in Maharashtra has imposed a 10-day lockdown in 61 villages. “The district is witnessing 500-800 cases daily and the positivity rate is over 5%. Therefore, directions were issued to implement precautionary measures in villages with more than 10 active cases. Since protocols were not being followed fully, we have imposed strict restrictions in 61 villages in 11 tehsils.” District Collector Rajendra Bhosale said, in an order. Schools will remain shut in these villages also.

Overall, the Covid-19 situation in India is under control. The country has been reporting 20,000-25,000 new Covid-19 cases for the past few days as vaccination picked up the pace. As many as 91.54 crore doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the country so far. About 70% of the country’s adult population has now received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. In another positive development, the government could announce guidelines for vaccinating children against coronavirus by the end of next week.

Source: The Indian Express

BDST: 1300 HRS, OCT 11, 2021
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