Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting with senior officials on Sunday to review issues related to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the vaccination process. People familiar with the development said that senior officials participating in the meeting include Rajiv Gauba, the cabinet secretary; Pramod Kumar Mishra, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister; Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary of Health, and NITI Aayog Fellow Dr. Vinod Paul.
India reported 93,249 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, the largest increase in one day since Sept. 19 last year, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The country’s count has passed the 12.48 million mark and the ministry’s dashboard showed 12,485,509 cases as of 8 a.m. With 513 new deaths related to Covid-19, the death toll has risen to 164,623. According to the Ministry of Health, a total of 7.59.79.651 people have been vaccinated across the country against Covid-19 so far.
Read also: India reports 93,249 Covid-19 cases, highest daily peak in more than 6 months
India is currently the third country most affected by the pandemic, just behind the United States of America and Brazil, according to the global Covid-19 tracker from John Hopkins University. The number of new cases reported in India is more than in any other country and, on average, is higher than the number of new infections in the United States. India’s curve is set to overtake Brazil to become the world’s worst outbreak country amid a raging second national wave.
Read also: India’s Covid-19 Curve Beats US, Prepares to Overtake Brazil
On Saturday, the Health Ministry said that eight states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, have shown a sharp increase in daily Covid-19 cases and account for 81, 42%. of all new cases reported in India. Maharashtra reported the highest daily cases, accounting for just nearly 60% (59.36%) of the country’s total active cases, followed by Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, the ministry added.
Authorities in several states have imposed strict restrictions, including night curfews for the closure of schools and other educational institutions, to combat the surge during the second ongoing wave of the pandemic. In Maharashtra, Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned of a shutdown if Covid-19 cases continued to rise.
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