Coronavirus Updates: India Logs 11,451 New Infections, Active Caseload At 1,42,826 Is Lowest in 262 Days – News18

November 8, 2021

Coronavirus Updates: India logged 11,451 new coronavirus infections taking the countrys total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,43,66,987, while the active cases declined to 1,42,826, the lowest in 262 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll climbed to 4,61,057 with 266 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 31 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 134 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.42 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.24 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A decrease of 2,019 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 108.47 crore. Indias COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 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, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

After Indias first indigenous vaccine, Coxavin, received a nod from the World Health Organisation, the Ministry of external affairs (MEA) has reached out to a number of countries to secure approval for the vaccine. While the MEA is holding discussions with counterparts from various countries over the issue, Indias diplomatic missions, too, are in talks with their respective host nations in this regard.

According to a Hindustan Times report, currently, several countries allow fully vaccinated Indian nationals to enter without mandatory quarantine upon arrival. However, most of these countries require travellers to be vaccinated with Covishield, the Indian variant of Britains AstraZeneca jab. Covaxin, on the other hand, has been approved by nearly a dozen nations. From November 8, the United States, too, will allow entry to travellers jabbed with the made-in-India vaccine.

In India, there has been a growing demand to roll out booster shots of COVID vaccines for frontline workers and vulnerable high-risk groups, as news of states and private players sitting on stockpiles of soon-to-expire vaccine doses spread. A TOI report states that even as the Centre monitors the national stockpile to ensure sufficient quantities are available for those eligible for second doses, there is a strong recommendation to allow boosters for the vulnerable population, as it will be criminal negligence to waste or let even a single dose expire. The issue came into the limelight recently, as the National Covid Task Force member Dr Subhash Salunkhe said that those responsible for vaccination, need to draw up a strategy for immunisation for both second and booster shots to be taken up concurrently.

According to Cowin data, it is possible to know the daily stocks, expiry date of vaccines and those eligible for second doses. Therefore, the Centre should take the crucial decision on this as a majority of doses will expire soon, Dr Subhash Salunkhe suggested. It is especially worrying because municipal bodies like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has stocks of over 5 lakh Covid vaccine doses for the first time since the vaccination drive began on January 16 but the civic officials claim that only a few have turned up to get jabbed due to the festival season.

More than 116.58 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. Over 15.77 crore balance and unutilised vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered, it said. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, advanced visibility of vaccine availability to states and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain, the ministry said.

However, hesitancy towards taking the second vaccine has been a major cause of concern in India. TOI report states that almost 16 crore doses of vaccine were available with states and UTs on Saturday while 7 crore individuals who were due for their second shot were yet to show up. During the Diwali celebrations, merely 2.42 crore doses were administered in the country.

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