India on Monday registered 46,951 daily infections, continuing the trend of reporting more than 40,000 cases, data from the Union health ministry showed. With this, India’s tally rose to 1,16,46,081. This is the highest one-jump in coronavirus cases since November 7, reported NDTV.

The toll climbed by 212 to 1,59,967. This is the highest in 72 days, according to PTI.

There are 3,34,646 active cases and 1,11,51,468 people have recovered from the infection. India has also so far administered 4,50,65,998 Covid-19 vaccine shots with 4,62,157 jabs given on Sunday.

In a statement, the health ministry said that Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh account for 80.5% of the total new cases recorded in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, 14 states and Union Territories have not reported any coronavirus deaths in the last 24 hours, the statement added. These are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Ladakh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

On Sunday, Maharashtra had once again broke its record and registered 30,535 new coronavirus cases – the highest since the pandemic began. With this, the total infections in the state rose to 24,79,682. The toll increased by 99 to 53,399.

Mumbai also recorded a new highest count of single-day cases on Sunday, as the city had a spike of 3,775 cases. The total case count went up to 3,62,654, according to civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The toll rose to 11,582, with 10 new fatalities, while the active caseload stood at 23,448.

Meanwhile, several international passengers who travelled carrying negative Covid -19 reports have been found positive for the infection when they were tested on arrival at the international airport in Hyderabad, reported PTI. Union Health Ministry official Anuradha Medoju, who confirmed the news, said the information on positive cases was shared with state government officials for quarantining and other purposes.

Government data has shown that Covid-19 vaccination sites at government facilities in Delhi have higher turnout rates than those in private facilities since last week, reported the Hindustan Times. Government health officials have attributed this to measures put in place to increase the number of shots administered at centres in hospitals and clinics run by them.

Global updates

  1. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 12.31 crore people and killed over 27.15 lakh, according to the John Hopkins University. Over 6.97 crore people have recovered from the infection in the world.
  2. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’ wife Bushra Bibi has also tested positive for Covid-19 a few hours after the PM was also found infected with the virus. Khan and his wife tested positive on March 20. 
  3. Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said on Sunday its Covid-19 vaccine contains no pork-derived ingredients after apprehension were raised in Indonesia that the drug violates Islamic law, reported Reuters.
  4. Mary Ramsay, the head of immunisation at Public Health England, has said that people may need to wear masks and maintain physical distance for several years till the situation turns normal, reported BBC.
  5. Britain warned the European Union against halting exports of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines if the bloc does not receive promised deliveries, saying such a move would be “counter-productive”, reported AFP. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to speak to his European Union counterparts this week about the matter, according to BBC.
  6. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has called state governors and mayors “tyrants” for imposing lockdowns to contain the coronavirus outbreak, reported BBC. he also said that his government had done all it could and it was now time to reopen the economy.