India continues to report 3.6 lakh more daily cases, over 3000 deaths
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New Delhi: India, in the last 24 hours, recorded 3,66,161 fresh Covid-19 cases and 3,754 related deaths, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. This is for the first time after four straight days that India's Covid-19 count has been recorded by less than 4,00,000 fresh infections. The country's daily death toll, too, was more than 4,000 in the last two days.
However, only 14.74 lakh samples were tested on Sunday, compared to the usual 18-19 lakh samples a day.
The health ministry said that a total of 17,01,76,703 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 6,89,652, who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours.
In Maharashtra, the state with the highest caseload, daily infections dropped below 50,000 for the first time in a month.
Delhi and Haryana have announced stricter measures as the lockdown was extended to break the chain of transmission. Metro services will remain shut this week in the national capital. In Uttar Pradesh, schools will remain shut till May 20.
In Tamil Nadu, a two-week lockdown began this morning. In neighbouring Karnataka, the positivity rate has gone up to 32.71 per cent; nearly 48,000 new cases and 500 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours.
On Saturday, Kerala came under a nine-day complete lockdown. This means that from today, a majority of the country will be under either strict lockdown or lockdown-like curbs.
Vaccination is the only solution to India's Covid crisis, the United States's top health expert Anthony Fauci has said. While nearly 17 crore doses have been administered so far, the pace has slowed down in the last few days despite the vaccine net extended to the 18-44 age group.
Faced with criticism over the pricing of vaccines, the government has defended its policy in the Supreme Court. Urging against "judicial interference", the centre has warned that "overzealous, though well-meaning, intervention may lead to unforeseen and unintended consequences".
