New Delhi: India reported 3,14,835 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours which is a new record for the country making it the world's highest daily spike recorded so far. 2,104 deaths and 1,78,841 discharges were also reported in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry.
Currently, total cases stands at 1,59,30,965, whereas total recoveries is 1,34,54,880 and the death toll as reached 1,84,657. The active cases in the country is 22,91,428. Meanwhile, vaccinations in total has been done so far 13,23,30,644.
Karnataka has reported another biggest single day spike of 23,558 new COVID-19 cases and 116 related fatalities, taking the total caseload 12.22 lakh and the toll to 13,762, the health department said on Wednesday. The state had previously reported its biggest single day spike of 21,794 cases on Tuesday.
Facing an oxygen supply crisis in the state, Murugesh R Nirani, Karnataka Minister for Mines & Geology said, "We have instructed steel companies that have been producing liquefied oxygen in their plants for their use in steel production, to increase the production & supply them to hospitals in the state on priority basis, the steel companies have extended cooperation and agreed to increase production and supply of oxygen. This will help save many patients who are in dire need of oxygen in the ICU".
A similar oxygen crisis is seen in the national capital, on Wednesday, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to cut down the industrial use of oxygen and provide it to the hospitals in the national capital which are treating serious COVID-19 patients and are facing scarcity of oxygen. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said the responsibility to ensure oxygen supply is squarely on shoulders of the Centre and if necessary the entire supply of oxygen to industries, including steel and petroleum, can be diverted for medical usage, PTI reported.
“Why is the Centre not waking up to the gravity of the situation? We are shocked and dismayed hospitals running out of oxygen but steel plants are running,” the bench said while hearing a plea with regard to urgent need of oxygen in some Delhi hospitals.
Amid the rising cases, West Bengal is undergoing Phase 6 of the Assembly elections for 43 seats i.e. 9 constituencies each in North Dinajpur and Nadia districts, 17 in North 24 Parganas and 8 in East Burdwan.