India recorded 161,736 fresh Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry data showed on Tuesday. The number of infections has surpassed that of the United States and if the cases continue to rise, will surpass Brazil as well.
The active cases have now increased to 12,64000 comprising 5.54 per cent of the total infections, while a total 12,253,697 patients recovered in the last 24 hours with the recovery rate reported to be 93.14 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry reports.
Meanwhile, the death toll increased to 171,089 on Monday with 914 new fatalities and the fatality rate was reported 1.32 per cent.
India on Friday added the most cases of Covid-19 than any other country, surpassed, on average, the number of new infections in United States, and was set to overtake Brazil over the weekend to become the country with the worst outbreak in the world amid a raging second national wave that led to 92,961 new infections on Saturday — the highest since September 17.
India recorded the most number of cases in the world once before. At the peak of its first wave, India recorded 99,181 cases on September 10 but was soon taken over by the US, which recorded 308,941 cases on its worst day on January 8. The highest Brazil has recorded is in the current wave, with a peak at 97,586 on March 25.
So far, 7,59,79,651 doses of the corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after the approval for Covishield and Covaxin. On April 1, the third phase of the vaccination drive began under which anyone 45 years or older is allowed to get a jab.