India logs 7,974 new COVID-19 infections, active cases decline to 87,245

The death toll climbed to 4,76,478 with 343 fresh fatalities, according to the Health Ministry data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 49 days now.

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday reported 7,974 new cases of COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total tally of coronavirus cases to 3,47,18,602, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

With 343 fresh fatalities, the death toll climbed to 4,76,478, according to the Health Ministry data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 49 days now, it added.

India reports 7,974 new #COVID19 cases, 7,948 recoveries, and 343 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 87,245
Total recoveries: 3,41,54,879
Death toll: 4,76,478

Total Vaccination: 1,35,25,36,986 pic.twitter.com/ZfVAKcK6dN — ANI (@ANI) December 16, 2021

The active cases comprise 0.25 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the Health Ministry said. A decline of 317 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

India's total vaccination coverage has reached 1,35,25,36,986, according to the latest Health Ministry figures. The Covid-19 vaccination coverage in India has crossed 135.25 crore, of which 82.08 crore people have taken the first dose while 53.09 crore are fully vaccinated, the data said.

According to Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, more than 55% of the country's adult population has received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

India had on Wednesday reported 6,984 new cases of coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,47,10,628 while the active cases declined to 87,562.

The death toll climbed to 4,76,135 with 247 fresh fatalities, according to the data. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 48 days now, 

The active cases comprise 0.25 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.38 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. Out of 6,984 new cases and 247 deaths in the country, Kerala reported 3,377 new COVID-19 cases and 28 deaths on Wednesday.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 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 one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.