India's tally of Covid infections dipped by 8 per cent on Saturday from a day ago to touch 15,940. The active caseload increased to 91,779, according to the updated Union health ministry data. The death toll climbed to 5,24,974 with 20 more fatalities.
Active cases rose by 3,495 in a day and now comprise 0.21 percent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.58 percent, the health ministry said.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.39 percent while the weekly positivity rate was 3.30 percent, according to the health ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,27,61,481, while the case fatality rate was 1.21 percent.
According to an official from the Ministry, as states register a spike in Covid-19 cases, the rise and fall in infections from time to time is a common phenomenon when an infectious disease transitions from pandemic to endemic phase. Underlining the current rise in coronavirus cases is so far limited to certain districts of the country, they attributed it to people not wearing masks, increased travel and social interactions and low uptake of booster doses of Covid vaccine.
According to official sources, 51 districts in India, including 12 from Kerala, seven from Mizoram, and five each from Maharashtra and Assam, are reporting a weekly Covid positivity rate of over 10 percent. In 53 districts, including 10 from Rajasthan and five from Delhi, the weekly positivity is between five and 10 percent.
According to the ministry, 196.94 crore doses of the Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far. India's Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crores on May 4, three crore on June 23 and four crores on January 25 this year.