We were all waiting for the Coronavirus vaccine. Now the vaccine is here and people are getting vaccinated in large numbers; yet the crisis is far from over.
As per data, the pandemic is not yet over. India on Sunday recorded 25,320 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily rise in 84 days, taking the case tally to 1,13,59,048. According to Union health ministry data, as many as 26,624 new infections were recorded on December 20. The death toll increased to 1,58,607 on Sunday with 161 new fatalities, the highest in 44 days, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The country’s active caseload increased to 2,10,544 and constitutes 1.85 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate dropped to 96.75 per cent from 96.82 per cent on Saturday. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,09,89,897, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.40 per cent, the data stated.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 22,67,03,641 samples had been tested up to March 13 with 8,64,368 being tested on Saturday.
State wise data
The 161 new fatalities include 88 from Maharashtra, 22 from Punjab, and 12 from Kerala. So far, 1,58,607 deaths have been reported in the country including 52,811 from Maharashtra, 12,543 from Tamil Nadu, 12,387 from Karnataka, 10,939 from Delhi, 10,288 from West Bengal, 8,745 from Uttar Pradesh, and 7,182 from Andhra Pradesh.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
The reason for the Surge
India entered the second phase of immunisation against novel coronavirus on March 1, 2021. Records say so far the country has administered a total of 2,97,38,409 doses. But, even after the rollout of the vaccines, there is a sudden surge in the number of active cases across the nation. Experts say it is due to an increased public gathering — breaking the social distancing rules, not wearing masks properly and laxity toward public health guidance. Unfortunately, a lack in maintaining the basic pandemic rules has caused the number of coronavirus infections to rise again.
What Happens When Case Spike Increases — What Awaits Us?
Vaccines are here, but one needs to understand that the virus has not gone anywhere — it is still here and anybody (careless) can get infected with the COVID-19 virus. are already being reported from several corners of the world — South Africa, the UK, Brazil, etc. If you keep breaking the pandemic rules, then you might end up seeing another wave of the novel coronavirus. If not managed now, this virus can end up affecting people more and that won’t be a good thing to experience – isn’t it?