India recorded 30,570 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, which pushed the country’s overall tally of infections since the outbreak of the pandemic in January last year to 3,33,47,325. The new cases were 12.48% higher than Wednesday’s count of 27,176 infections.

India’s toll rose to 4,43,928 as it recorded 431 additional deaths in the last 24 hours. As of Thursday morning, India had 3,42,923 active Covid-19 cases. The number of recoveries in the country stood at 3,25,60,474.

Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

A total of 76,57,17,137 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in India since the beginning of the immunisation drive in January. On Wednesday alone, over 64 lakh doses were administered in the country.

Six states and Union territories – Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep – have administered the first dose of the vaccine to all their adults.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to virtually address ministers, health workers and vaccine recipients in Goa on September 18 to congratulate them on the milestone, PTI reported on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the Pan American Health Organization said on Wednesday that children faced a significant risk of Covid-19 infection.

“As more adults receive their Covid-19 vaccines, children – who are not yet eligible for vaccinations in most countries – are representing a larger percentage of Covid hospitalisations and even deaths,” the organisation’s Director Carissa F Etienne said.

In North and South America, over 19 lakh cases of Covid-19 have been reported among children this year, the organisation added.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected over 22.63 crore people and caused more than 46.59 lakh deaths since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.