India records spike of 1.15 lakh new COVID-19 cases, 630 deaths in past 24 hours

New Delhi:  Amid growing concerns over fast-rising cases of COVID-19 infections, India on Wednesday recorded 1,15,736 new coronavirus cases, taking the total tally in the country to 1,28,01,785.

According to the Health Ministry data released at 8 AM, the death toll increased by 630 to 1,66,177. The is the biggest one-day rise in cases in the country ever since the pandemic began.

According to the Health Ministry, there are currently 8,43,473 active cases across the country, while 1,17,92,135 patients have been discharged, with 59,856 discharges reported in the last 24 hours.

As many as 25,14,39,598 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 6 April, of which 12,08,329 samples were tested on Tuesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said. Meanwhile, more than 8.70 crore vaccine doses have been administered till now, ever since India's inoculation drive began on 16 January.

On Tuesday night, India recorded over 1.07 lakh new cases of infection, the highest one-day spike in COVID-19 cases amid warning from the Centre that the next four weeks are "very very critical".

According to the daily numbers announced by various states and union territories, the nationwide tally of new cases reported on Tuesday night crossed the 1.07 lakh mark, the highest ever in India since the first case of the deadly virus was reported on January 30, 2020.

The number of cases breached the 1-lakh mark for the second time in three days. India on Sunday registered an all-time high of 1,03,558 cases in a span of 24 hours. In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases, the Centre sought people's participation to control the second wave of the pandemic.

As the Centre warned that COVID-19 is spreading faster in the country than during the last year, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said it seems that people have given 'Tilanjali' (abandon) to measures like wearing masks to combat the disease.

Facing growing calls for expanding the COVID vaccination drive to cover all age groups, the Centre also appeared to be veering towards the view to make those above 18 years eligible for the jabs. At present, only those above 45 years are allowed to take the vaccine.

Delhi also joined a growing number of states to impose a night curfew in view of the surge in coronavirus infections as the national capital recorded 5,100 fresh cases on Tuesday, the highest this year. The curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will be in force with immediate effect till April 30.

NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul said the pandemic situation in the country has worsened with a sharp rise in cases, and a large part of the population is still susceptible to the virus.

"People's participation is vital to control the second wave. The next four weeks are going to very critical. The entire country has to come together and make efforts to fight the pandemic."

"The intensity of the pandemic has increased and it is spreading faster than last time. In some states, it (the condition) is worse than others but the upswing (in cases) can be observed across the country," he said.

Centre urges people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour

The tools to fight the pandemic remain the same. COVID-appropriate behaviour, containment measures, testing have to be implemented more efficiently, medical infrastructure has to be ramped up and vaccination drive intensified, he underlined.

COVID-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, staying away from crowds have to be followed in a campaign mode, Paul reminded people.

He said the number of coronavirus cases is increasing and along with that mortality is also on the rise. "Still, in terms of the population size and in terms of deaths per million we are doing well and the pandemic is in control."

Factors leading to a spike in COVID cases

Minister Vardhan highlighted that one of the major reasons for the surge in cases in almost all parts of the country, more specifically in 11 states, was people becoming lax towards following COVID appropriate behaviour and urged them to take up mass awareness campaigns to re-instill the importance of such measures among the population.

“It seems that people have given 'Tilanjali' (abandon) to measures and steps that can protect them from COVID such as mask-wearing, avoiding gatherings and maintaining physical distancing, which I have been calling as Social Vaccine and are as important as the vaccines that we now have," he was quoted as saying in an official statement released after he chaired a comprehensive and detailed review of the COVID cases, vaccination status and challenges being faced by the 11 states.

#COVID19 के बढ़ते मामलों को देखते हुए मैंने मीडिया के माध्यम से देश के सभी नागरिकों से अपील करी कि वे COVID Appropriate Behaviors को अपना कर्तव्य समझ कर पूरी गंभीरता से उसका पालन करें।

मास्क पहनें, दो गज़ की दूरी रखें और हाथों को साबुन से धोते रहें। भीड़ से बचना बहुत ज़रूरी है। pic.twitter.com/OukUnHeWnH — Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) April 5, 2021

Super spreader states

The states are Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan.
A total of 96,982 cases have been reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll increased to 1,65,547 with 446 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in an advisory urged private TV channels to disseminate messages for COVID-appropriate behaviour and vaccination of the eligible age group to create greater awareness among people.

The Centre while responding to growing demands that the age limit for COVID-19 vaccination be relaxed in view of the spike in cases, said the aim is to protect those who are most vulnerable, and not to "administer the vaccine to those who want it but to those who need it".

The 10 districts with the highest number of new cases are Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Bengaluru Urban, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Delhi and Durg. Maharashtra because of its share in total number of cases as well as in total deaths, and Punjab and Chhattisgarh because of their share in the number of deaths. Maharashtra on Tuesday recorded 55,469 new cases, a state health official said in Mumbai.

India's COVID-19 cases per million in India are still among the lowest. India has 9,192 cases per million while countries like the US has 91,757, France 71,718, and the UK 64,216.

The Union Health Ministry said more than 43 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered in a span of 24 hours on April 5, the highest single-day coverage till now, taking the total doses given in the country so far to 8,31,10,926.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting that vaccination be allowed for all people above the age of 18 years.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray on Monday also requested PM Modi to relax the age limit for the vaccination. Karnataka, Punjab and Rajasthan had also made similar suggestions in recent weeks.

(With Agency Inputs)