COVID-19: India records 12,923 fresh cases, 108 more fatalities
New Delhi: India's COVID-19 tally has climbed to 1,08,71,294 with 12,923 fresh cases reported in a day, while the number of recoveries has surged to 1,05,73,372, the health ministry said on Thursday.
The death toll in the country due to the viral disease has gone up to 1,55,360 with 108 more people succumbing to it, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 1,05,73,372, which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.26 per cent, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.43 per cent.
The country currently has 1,42,562 active COVID-19 cases, which account for only 1.31 per cent of its total caseload, the data stated.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, the 30-lakh mark on August 23, the 40-lakh mark on September 5 and the 50-lakh mark on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 20,40,23,840 samples have so far been tested in the country for COVID-19, including 6,99,185 on Wednesday.
The 108 fresh fatalities include 30 from Maharashtra, 18 from Kerala and 14 from Punjab.
Of the total 1,55,360 deaths caused by the viral disease, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of 51,390, followed by Tamil Nadu (12,396), Karnataka (12,244), Delhi (10,884), West Bengal (10,220), Uttar Pradesh (8,696) and Andhra Pradesh (7,161).
The ministry stressed that over 70 per cent of the COVID-19 deaths in the country occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that a state-wise distribution of the 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.
