India reported 692 fresh COVID-19 cases and 6 virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, as per data released by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.
The latest daily count of 692 new cases takes the overall caseload in the country to 4.46 crore. This marks a marginal decline from the 749 cases registered a day earlier.
The latest deaths – two in Maharashtra and one each in NCT of Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and West Bengal – took the nationwide pandemic death toll to 5,33,346.
With this, the number of active coronavirus cases now stands at 4,097, constituting 0.01% of total infections. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 0.22% while the weekly positivity rate stood at 0.08%.
According to government statistics, the country has registered a total of 4.46 crore COVID cases and 5.33 lakh fatalities since the pandemic broke out in early 2020. After a devastating second wave in 2021, infections have largely been contained over the past year.
However, authorities continue to urge citizens to adhere to COVID-appropriate behavior and come forward for vaccination doses to minimize transmission risk as the virus persists in some global hotspots.
States have also been asked to closely monitor emerging clusters and maintain adequate testing. But with most curbs lifted, economic activity has revived across India over the past few quarters. Going forward, experts advise exercising caution without lowering the guard as yet.
