Hospitalisation, Death Rates Low Despite Rise In Covid Cases In India: Govt Tells Lok Sabha

On Friday, India registered 21,880 coronavirus infections and 60 new deaths. Active Covid cases have increased by 601 in a span of 24 hours.

A total of 200.34 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far

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Despite an uptick in Covid-19 cases in some states since May, hospitalisation and death rates have been low, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. Union Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar attributed the low rate of hospitalisation to Covid vaccination efforts across India, PTI reported.

On Friday, India registered 21,880 coronavirus infections and 60 new deaths. Active Covid cases have increased by 601 in a span of 24 hours while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.42 per cent.

"Such waxing and waning course of infection trajectory are not unusual for pandemics due to novel pathogens," the Union Minister said in the Lok Sabha.

"A number of factors, including unexposed and immunocompromised population, change in virus characteristics and waning immunity, tend to contribute to such phenomenon," PTI quoted Pawar as saying.

She was repling to a question whether the government had conducted any study to find out the reasons for such a rise in Covid cases.

"The current surge is associated with a lower rate of hospitalisation and deaths, which may be attributed to considerable efforts made towards Covid-19 immunisation across the country," Pawar said in her written reply.

According to Health Ministry data, more than 200.34 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered across the country so far. 

India Supplied 23.9 Crore Vaccine Doses To 101 Nations: Govt

The government also informed the Lok Sabha that India had supplied 23.9 crore doses of Covid vaccine to 101 countries and UN entities in the form of grant, commercial export, or through COVAX facility.

In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said vaccination below 12 years of age had not begun under the National Covid Vaccination Programme.

Currently, five Covid-19 vaccines -- Covishield, Covovax, Covaxin, Sputnik V vaccine and Corbevax -- are being used under the vaccination programme.