COVID-19: India records 13,193 new cases, 97 fresh fatalities
New Delhi, Feb 19: Daily new cases of COVID-19 in the country climbed to over 13,000 after 19 days taking India's tally of cases to 1,09,63,394, while the recoveries surged to 1,06,67,741, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.
A total of 13,193 new cases were registered in a span of 24 hours. The death toll increased to 1,56,111 with 97 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,06,67,741 which translates to a national COVID-19 recovery rate of 97.30 per cent and the case fatality rate stands at 1.42 per cent.
The total COVID-19 active cases remained below 1.5 lakh.
There are 1,39,542 active cases of coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 1.27 per cent of the total caseload, 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, 20,94,74,862 samples have been tested up to February 18 with 7,71,071 samples being tested on Thursday.
The 97 new fatalities include 38 from Maharashtra, 14 from Kerala and 10 from Punjab.
A total of 1,56,111 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 51,669 from Maharashtra followed by 12,444 from Tamil Nadu, 12,282 from Karnataka, 10,896 from Delhi, 10,239 from West Bengal, 8,709 from Uttar Pradesh and 7,166 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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India describes attack on Fujairah 'unacceptable'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday described the wounding of three Indians in an attack on the United Arab Emirates' port city of Fujairah as "unacceptable" and pressed for an immediate cessation of hostilities targeting innocent civilians.
New Delhi's reaction came a day after the Indians were injured after a drone attack caused a fire at a major oil industry zone in Fujairah. The UAE had accused Iran of carrying out the strike.
"The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," the spokesperson said.
Jaiswal said India continued to stand for dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the situation so that peace and stability could be restored across West Asia.
"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues," he said.
The attack on Fujairah city came as the ceasefire between the US and Iran came under strain in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas pass, remains a major sticking point in the talks. Shipping through the narrow Gulf waterway has been severely disrupted by the conflict, triggering a sharp increase in oil prices and energy shortages in several countries.
The UAE's defence ministry on Monday said its air defence systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran.
The ministry affirmed that it "remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the country."
