India on Monday registered 26,291 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall count to 1,13,85,339, data from the Union health ministry showed. This is the highest single-day rise in infections in nearly three months, according to Mint.

The country’s toll rose to 1,58,725, with 118 deaths reported in 24 hours. Active cases went up by 8,718 to 2,19,262. The number of recoveries reached 1,10,07,352.

Maharashtra recorded this year’s highest one-day spike of 16,620 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, pushing the tally in the state 23,14,413, reported NDTV. The toll went up by 50 to 52,861. The Centre said that Maharashtra alone accounted for 63.21% of the daily new cases. “It is followed by Kerala with 1,792 while Punjab reported 1,492 new cases,” the government added. The health ministry noted that Kerala saw a declining trend in cases over the last one month.

(Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

The health ministry said that Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu accounted for 78.41% of the new cases reported in India in the last day.

Government data showed that number of active cases comprised of 1.93% of the total infections in the country. “Three states, Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab, cumulatively account for 77% of India’s total active cases,” the health ministry said. “Maharashtra alone accounts for more than 58% of the total active cases in the country.”

The Centre added that Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal accounted for 82% of the deaths reported in the last day. Sixteen states and Union territories did not report any death in the last day.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that cases were rising because of people’s disregard for physical distancing and other protective measures. “Around 85% of cases are in five to six states,” he noted, according to ANI. “The main reason behind the increase in cases is people not taking Covid appropriate behaviour.”

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Amid the surge in cases, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday said that he would be forced to announce another lockdown if people did not cooperate and take safety precautions against the spread of Covid-19. “For the last one month, Covid-19 is getting beyond control and numbers are going up. I have called a meeting with experts on Monday. I have just one request that if you [citizens] do not want a lockdown, if all activities should continue like now, people should cooperate,” Yediyurappa said.

As many as 1,40,880 vaccine doses were administered on Sunday, taking the tally to 2,99,08,038, government data showed. India’s inoculation drive against the coronavirus has now become the second-largest in the world only after the United States, reported the Hindustan Times. India has administered on an average 12.6 lakh doses of vaccines every day last week, while the figure for the US is 25 lakhs.

Haryana’s Additional Chief Secretary of Health Rajeev Arora said that the state will hold a massive Covid-19 vaccination drive on Monday, reported PTI.

On the other hand, government data showed that just over 3% of Delhi’s population has received at least a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine so far, according to the Hindustan Times. As on Sunday evening, 6,38,438 people received at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine in the national Capital, marginally more than 3% of Delhi’s nearly 2 crore population.

Global updates

  1. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 11.98 crore people and killed over 26.53 lakh, according to the John Hopkins University. Over 6.78 crore people have recovered from the infection in the world.  
  2. British-Swedish company AstraZeneca on Sunday said that a safety review of people inoculated with its coronavirus vaccine has shown no evidence of increased risk of blood clots. The Netherlands and Ireland are the latest countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.