India records 4,435 fresh COVID cases, highest since September 2022

New Delhi: New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has updated that India recorded 4,435 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest incidence since September end 2022. Today’s COVID update marks a 46 per cent rise compared to yesterday’s reported cases, bringing the active COVID caseload to 23,091.

The nationwide daily and weekly positivity rates now stand at 3.38 per cent and 2.79 per cent respectively. The active cases amount to 0.05 per cent of the total COVID-19 infections in the country, and the national COVID-19 recovery rate stays maintained at 98.76 per cent with 2,508 recoveries recorded in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 4,41,79,712, the Health Ministry notified.

A top official from The Union Health Ministry informed yesterday that the current surge in COVID cases could be attributed to the spread of the XBB 1.16 variant in the country. However, he relayed that this new variant poses less risk and is unlikely to increase hospitalisations, but people need to remain vigilant. "New strains keep coming after mutation. This is a new variant which has come. This would not lead to an increase in hospitalisations so there is low risk associated with it," he said.

To effectively manage this rising threat to public health, companies are taking measures including work-from-home protocols, regular testing at office/work sites, and regular temperature checks. Mask mandates are also being enforced. Others have prepared for emergencies that may arise out of the surge in cases, in terms of equipment and resources in addition to air and water quality checks and regular sanitisation of premises.

The active caseload was updated owing to the 1,31,086 COVID tests conducted in the last 24 hours. The ministry reported that a total of 92.21 crores of COVID-19 tests have been conducted in India so far.

According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of COVID vaccines (95.21 crore second doses and 22.86 crore precaution doses) have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive, out of which, only 1,979 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.