New Delhi :India on Tuesday recorded 3,29,942 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 3,876 deaths due to the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 3,56,082 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery toll to 1,90,27,304. The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 2,26,62,575, with 37,15,221 active cases, the data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 2,49,992. A total of 17,27,10,066 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the 1-crore mark on December 19.Meanwhile, the B-1617 variant of the coronavirus, first identified in India, has been classified as a “variant of concern” at the global level by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 Technical Lead at the WHO, said Monday that the B.1.617 virus variant that was first identified in India had been classified as a “variant of interest” by the WHO.
She said the Epi team and WHO lab team has been discussing with the WHO virus evolution working group this variant and everything that “we know about it in terms of transmissibility and any studies that are being done in India as well as in other countries where this virus is circulating.
“In consultation with our virus evolution working group, and our Epi teams and our lab teams internally, there is some available information to suggest increased transmissibility of B-1617… as such we are classifying this as a variant of concern at the global level,” she said.