India reports 16,488 Covid-19 cases, 113 deaths; tally over 11.07 million
With 12,771 patients of the coronavirus disease recovering between Friday and Saturday morning, India’s recovery tally has gone up to over 10.76 million and the national recovery rate is 97.14%, data showed.
India reported 16,488 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 113 related deaths in the last 24 hours, marginally lower than Friday, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Saturday morning. The country’s tally stands at 11,079,979 and the death toll to 156,938, the health ministry’s data showed at 8am. On Friday morning, there were 16,577 Covid-19 and 120 people had succumbed to the viral disease across the country. The number of active cases has gone up to 159,590.
With 12,771 patients of the coronavirus disease recovering between Friday and Saturday morning, India’s recovery tally has gone up to over 10.76 million and the national recovery rate is 97.14%, data showed.
Ahead of the second phase of the government’s vaccination drive from March, 14,242,547 people have been inoculated against the coronavirus disease so far. The first phase of the country’s mammoth vaccination drive started on January 16.
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In Maharashtra, which has been reporting a surge in Covid-19 cases, the local administration in a few Vidarbha districts like Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal and Washim has imposed restrictions. A seven-day lockdown in Amravati city and Achalpur town started Monday evening, while other districts have restricted shop and establishment timings. Districts in Marathwada, including Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, have imposed a night curfew and restriction on the travellers coming from the affected Vidarbha districts. Schools and colleges in all these districts have been closed for few weeks.
Schools, colleges, and coaching classes in Nagpur will also remain closed till March 7 in view of rise in Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra’s power minister Nitin Raut had said on Monday. Raut, who is the guardian minister of Nagpur city, had said that main markets will remain shut on weekends, however, hotels and restaurants can run at 50 per cent capacity.
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Amid a surge in the cases of the coronavirus disease, the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) extended the existing Covid-19 guidelines for surveillance, containment, and caution up to March 31 and asked states to speed up the their vaccination drive. "While there has been a substantial decline in the active and new COVID-19 cases, there is a need to maintain surveillance, containment, and caution so as to fully overcome the pandemic. States/Union Territories have also been advised to speed up the vaccination of the target population so as to break the chain of transmission and overcome the pandemic," the MHA said.
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The MHA has advised that strict containment measures must be followed within the containment zones and said that the focused approach on surveillance, containment, and strict observance of the guidelines/SOPs, as envisaged in the guidelines issued on January 27, 2021, needs to be enforced strictly by all states and Union territories.
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