India third on list of countries with highest cumulative vaccination numbers: Health ministry
New Delhi: India is third globally, after the US and the UK, in highest cumulative vaccination numbers, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.
Till 8 am on Thursday, the cumulative vaccination coverage of healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) against COVID-19 in the country has crossed 94 lakh, the ministry said.
The daily COVID-19 positivity rate has also seen a constant decline in the last seven days. From 1.89 per cent on February 1, it has dropped to 1.69 per cent on Thursday, it said.
A total of 94,22,228 vaccine doses have been given to beneficiaries through 1,99,305 sessions till 8 am on February 18, as per the provisional report.
These include 61,96,641 HCWs (first dose), 3,69,167 HCWs (second dose) and 28,56,420 FLWs (first dose).
The administration of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination started on February 13 for those beneficiaries who had completed 28 days after receipt of the first dose.
The vaccination of the FLWs started from February 2. As on day 33 (February 18) of the vaccination drive, a total of 4,22,998 vaccine doses were given across 7,932 sessions.
Of which, 3,30,208 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose and 92,790 received the second dose.
The ministry said 58.20 per cent of those who have received the second dose are concentrated in seven states while Karnataka alone accounts for 14.74 per cent (54,397 doses).
India's cumulative recoveries have surged to 1.06 crore (1,06,56,845) on Thursday, the ministry said.
"Rising recoveries along with contained daily deaths have ensured a sustained fall in the COVID-19 active caseload," the ministry underlined.
India's present active cases (1,37,342) constitute just 1.25 per cent of the total infections with 11,987 patients having recuperated in a span of 24 hours, it said.
The distribution of new cases depicts a positive picture. Only two states have registered more than 1,000 new cases during the period, it said.
Sixteen states and UTs have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, it said.
These are Delhi, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Ladakh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tripura, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Arunachal Pradesh.
In a span of 24 hours, only one state has recorded more than 20 deaths, the ministry said.
Kerala and Maharashtra account for 75 per cent of the new cases, 72 per cent of new recovered cases and 55 per cent of new deaths, it said.
According to the ministry, 85.14 per cent of the new recovered cases are concentrated in six states.
At 4,932, Kerala has reported the maximum number of single day recoveries while 3,853 people recovered in Maharashtra followed by Karnataka (537).
A total 12,881 new daily cases have been recorded in a span of 24 hours. The ministry said 86.61 per cent of the new cases are from six states.
Kerala continues to report the highest daily new cases at 4,892 followed by Maharashtra (4,787), while Tamil Nadu reported 454 new cases.
Meanwhile, 101 fatalities were recorded in the last 24 hours, officials said, adding that five States account for 76.24 per cent of the new deaths, it said.
Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (40) followed by Kerala (16) and Punjab (10), it said.
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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."
