India records 43,071 new COVID-19 cases, 955 deaths
New Delhi, Jul 4: India saw a single-day rise of 43,071 COVID-19 infections, which took the tally of cases to 3,05,45,433, while active cases have declined to 4,85,350, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.
The death toll has climbed to 4,02,005 with 955 more fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The active cases have further declined to 4,85,350 and comprise 1.59 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.09 per cent, the ministry said.
It said active cases have declined by 10,183 in a span of 24 hours.
The data stated that 18,38,490 tests were conducted on Saturday, taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 41,82,54,953.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.34 per cent. It has been less than five per cent for 27 consecutive days, the ministry said, adding that the weekly positivity rate has declined to 2.44 per cent.
Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for 52 consecutive days.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has increased to 2,96,58,078, while the case fatality rate has risen to 1.32 per cent, the data stated.
Cumulative vaccine doses administered so far has reached 35.12 crore under nationwide Covid vaccination drive.
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.
India crossed two crore cases on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
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India eye U17 Women's Asian Cup history in decisive Lebanon clash
Suzhou (China) (PTI): Having lost to two continental heavyweights, India face a must-win game against Lebanon in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup here on Friday, knowing that victory could seal a first-ever qualification to the knockout stage of the competition.
After losing to Australia (0-2)and Japan (0-3) in Group B, the equation for India has become clear: one final match and one final chance to make the quarter-finals.
India are alive in the race for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams.
India currently hold a superior goal difference of -5 compared to Group C sides Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14), who face each other on the final matchday.
That means either side would require a heavy-margin victory to overtake India’s goal difference if the Young Tigresses defeat Lebanon.
Furthermore, if Thursday evening's Group A fixture between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or the latter wins by less than three goals, India will confirm their place in the last eight with a victory, irrespective of the Group C result.
For India, playing their first AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in 21 years, progressing beyond the group stage would mark a historic achievement.
Head coach Pamela Conti expects a very different challenge against Lebanon compared to the previous two matches.
The Italian believes the contest will demand more attacking flair since both teams require a win to qualify.
The West Asians, making their debut in the tournament, opened with a 0-13 loss against Japan, followed by a sensational point in a 1-1 draw with Australia.
"I watched Lebanon's game against Australia that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have very good attacking players. We need to be careful and not open up too much, because they can hurt us on the counter-attack," said Conti.
Unlike the opening two matches, where India spent large phases defending deep against physically and technically superior opponents, the Young Tigresses now have to play with greater attacking intent.
On Wednesday, the girls had recovery sessions indoors in the gym and the swimming pool. On Thursday, they had a 90-minute official training session involving tactical and set-piece work, and small-sided games.
Conti revealed that the team had long anticipated this decisive final group-stage encounter.
"I expect the girls to continue working hard and giving everything. I trust them a lot. We have prepared for this. We knew our qualification would come down to the match against Lebanon, and now we must give it everything," she said.
The stakes are not lost on the squad.
For a generation returning India to the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup after more than two decades, the possibility of reaching the quarter-finals would represent another milestone in what has already been a landmark year for Indian women's football across senior, U20 and U17 levels.
While the former two could not make the last eight in their respective tournaments earlier this year, the U17 now have the golden opportunity to make it happen.
"If we qualify, it will be an incredible achievement for everyone, and for the country. We are focused on giving that joy to the nation. I hope it happens for the staff, for us, and especially for the players, because they are the protagonists," Conti said.
