COVID-19: India records 12,899 new cases, 107 fatalities
New Delhi: With 12,899 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's COVID-19 tally of cases rose to 1,07,90,183, while the recoveries surged to 1,04,80,455, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll increased to 1,54,703 with 107 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,04,80,455 pushing the national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.13 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.43 per cent.
The total COVID-19 active caes remained below 2 lakh.
There are 1,55,025 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprise 1.44 per cent of the total cases, the data stated.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 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.
According to the ICMR, 19,92,16,019 samples have been tested up to February 3 with 7,42,841 samples being tested on Wednesday.
The 107 new fatalities include 30 from Maharashtra, 20 from Kerala, 7 each from Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and 6 each from Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
A total of 1,54,703 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 51,169 from Maharashtra followed by 12,371 from Tamil Nadu, 12,225 from Karnataka, 10,864 from Delhi, 10,195 from West Bengal, 8,674 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,157 from Andhra Pradesh.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
