The Centre has deputed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir (UT) to ascertain reasons for the surge and coordinate with the State Health Departments in COVID-19 control and containment measures. These states have recorded a rise in daily new cases, according to Union Health Ministry. 

 

India’s Active Caseload is 1,51,708 today comprising 1.37% of the total positive cases. This is largely attributable to the upsurge in daily new cases in some States. In the last 24 hours 16,738 new daily cases have been recorded 89.57% of the new cases are from Seven States. Maharashtra continues to report the highest daily new cases at 8,807. It is followed by Kerala with4,106 while Punjab reported 558 new cases.

The Centre has also written to States/UTs to focus on undertaking aggressive measures to break the chain of transmission. The States/UT have been advised to increase testing in a focussed manner in the affected districts with the appropriate split of RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests and to also ensure that all symptomatic negatives of antigen tests are compulsorily tested via RT-PCR tests. The positive persons are to be promptly isolated/hospitalised, all their close contacts be traced and also tested without delay. They have been advised to critical review the emerging situation on a regular basis with concerned District officials to ensure that gains made so far in COVID management are not lost.

On the other hand, the country has been witnessing a continuous decline in cumulative positivity rate. As on 25th Feb 2021, the cumulative positivity rate stands at 5.17%. As at 7 am today, the vaccination coverage was1,26,71,163through 2,64,315sessions, as per the provisional report

The 2nd dose of COVID19 vaccination started on 13th February, 2021 for those beneficiaries who have completed 28 days after receipt of the 1st dose. Vaccination of the FLWs started on 2nd Feb 2021. On Day-40 of the vaccination drive (24thFebruary, 2021), 5,03,947vaccine doses were given. Out of total1,26,71,163vaccine doses, 1,10,54,815 (HCWs and FLWs) have received 1st dose of vaccine and total 16,16,348 HCWs have received the 2nd dose of vaccine. 

India’s cumulative recoveries stand at1,07,38,501 today. The Recovery Rate is 97.21% today. The gap between total recovered cases and the active cases is constantly rising and stands at 10,586,793 today. 11,799 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours.