India records 2,539 new Covid-19 cases, 60 deaths in last 24 hours

The country recorded 4,491 recoveries today, taking the total number of recoveries to 4,24,54,546.

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

New Delhi: India recorded 2,539 new Covid-19 cases, 60 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to 5,16,132, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health on Thursday (March 17, 2022). The active cases stand at 30,799.

India reports 2,539 fresh #COVID19 cases, 4,491 recoveries, and 60 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Active case: 30,799 (0.07%)
Daily positivity rate: 0.35%
Total recoveries: 4,24,54,546
Death toll: 5,16,132 pic.twitter.com/adYcCfPevz

— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2022

A decrease of 2,012 cases has been recorded in the active Covid-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The country also recorded 4,491 recoveries today, taking the total number of recoveries to 4,24,54,546. 

The active cases account for 0.07 per cent of the total caseload, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has further improved to 98.73 per cent, the ministry said.

Additionally, the cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive have exceeded ​​​​180.80 crore. As many as 7,17,330 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours to detect the presence of the virus.

Global rise in Covid-19 cases is 'tip of the iceberg': WHO

Meanwhile, figures showing a global rise in Covid-19 cases could herald a much bigger problem as some countries also report a drop in testing rates, the WHO said on Tuesday, warning nations to remain vigilant against the virus.

After more than a month of decline, Covid-19 cases started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said, with lockdowns in Asia and China`s Jilin province battling to contain an outbreak.

A combination of factors was causing the increases, including the highly transmissible Omicron variant and its BA.2 sublineage, and the lifting of public health and social measures, the WHO said.

"These increase are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we`re seeing are just the tip of the iceberg," WHO`s head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.

Global Covid caseload tops 463.6 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 463.6 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.05 million and vaccinations to over 10.73 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world`s highest number of cases and deaths at 79,631,708 and 968,329, according to the CSSE.

The second worst hit country in terms of cases is India (42,998,938 infections and 516,072 deaths), followed by Brazil (29,488,777 infections and 656,231 deaths).

(With agency inputs)