Covid In India: India reports 1,32,364 new COVID 19 cases, 2,07,071 discharges, and 2713 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry.
Total cases: 2,85,74,350
Total discharges: 2,65,97,655
Death toll: 3,40,702
Active cases: 16,35,993
Total vaccination: 22,41,09,448
The Indian Council of Medical Research said that as many as 35,74,33,846 samples have been tested in the country thus far, including 20,75,428 samples tested yesterday.
Maharashtra on Thursday reported 15,229 new COVID-19 cases and 307 fatalities, taking its caseload to 57,91,413 and death toll to 97,394, the health department said. The state now has 2,04,974 active cases, it said.
Mumbai city reported 985 new cases and 27 deaths, taking its case tally to 7,08,026 and the toll to 14,907. The wider Mumbai division, including the city and its satellite towns, reported 3,046 infections and 61 deaths, pushing the caseload to 15,40,443 and the toll to 28,046.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 487 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest daily count in over two-and-a-half months and 45 deaths on Friday, while the positivity rate slumped to 0.61 percent, according to data shared by the health department.
Battling the vaccine shortage
As India is considering manufacturing a major part of vaccine within the country, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the increased manufacturing capacity in India, volume of capacity that is – has the potential to be a game-changer beyond India’s borders.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged President Joe Biden to set aside for India a portion from 80 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, which the lawmaker said is now the epicenter of the pandemic.
In a letter to Biden, Schumer said India helped the US in the hour of need earlier by sending much needed protective personnel equipment. Now, it is time for us to give back and help the people of India, he said in the letter dated June 1. On May 17, your administration announced that it would send 80 million doses of the vaccine to assist foreign nations. The United States, through other COVID-19 vaccine products, has more than enough vaccines to protect our own population and can afford to send AstraZeneca and other vaccine doses abroad, he said.