India on Tuesday recorded 96,982 daily cases, taking the country’s overall tally to 1,26,86,049. The toll went up to 1,65,547 after 446 deaths were registered in 24 hours.

The active cases rose for the 27th straight day to 7,88,223. As many as 1,17,32,279 people have recovered from the infection in the country.

The cumulative number of coronavirus vaccine doses administered crossed 8.31 crore, the health ministry said. Of these, 43,00,966 were given on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with chief ministers on Thursday, April 8, to discuss the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive, as the country grapples a strong second wave of infections, PTI reported, quoting unidentified officials.

Modi had last held a meeting with the head of states on March 17, during which he had expressed concern over the rising cases in parts of the country, and called for “quick and decisive” steps to check the “emerging second peak”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance said that India was well-prepared to combat the second wave of infections. In its monthly economic report, the ministry said that high-frequency data indicated that India was on the path to become better and stronger, according to PTI.

“After battling a historic pandemic in FY 2020-’21, the Indian economy is poised to build back better and stronger as is reflected in the movement of several high-frequency indicators,” it added.

State updates

  1. Maharashtra, which is the worst-affected in the country, started a system of weekend lockdowns in addition to other restrictions from Monday. The Centre, however, told the state that such measures have limited impact on containing transmission of the infection, reported The Indian Express.
  2. Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar urged people to take the pandemic seriously at least till the end of May, The New Indian Express reported. Sudhakar said the state may face a shortage of beds if the number of cases increase drastically. 
  3. Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan clarified that there was no lockdown in the state, and urged people not to believe “baseless rumours”, The News Minute reported. His clarification came after several WhatsApp messages were circulated in the state saying that  “new restrictions”, including a ban on large gatherings, will be imposed from 8 pm on Friday.  
  4. The civic body of Bengaluru, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, said it will soon set up Covid-19 vaccination sites at big corporate offices and apartment complexes in association with private hospitals. The civic body’s Administrator Rakesh Singh told The News Minute that they have approached the Union government regarding this and are awaiting their approval. 

Global scenario

  1. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 13.16 crore people and killed 28,59,868, according to the Johns Hopkins University. More than 7.47 crore people have recovered from the infection.
  2. World Bank President David Malpass said that India is blessed to have a major manufacturer of global vaccines like the Serum Institute in Pune, PTI reported. Malpass made the comments on Monday during a media roundtable ahead of the spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
  3. India, which is experiencing a sudden rise in number of Covid-19 cases, is now likely to make available a smaller number of vaccines to the rest of the world, Seth Berkley, the head of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation said, according to PTI. 
  4. The lockdown in Britain will be eased next week, with pubs and restaurants serving outside allowed to reopen, along with non-essential shops, gyms and hairdressers, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. reported BBC. He, however, warned citizens against complacency.