Coronavirus Updates: India Reports Nearly 14,000 Fresh Infections; Active Cases Above 1.4 Lakh

A total of 1,07,15,204 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered through 2,22,313 sessions, as per the provisional report till 8 a.m. on Feb. 20.

These include 63,28,479 healthcare workers (first dose), 8,47,161 healthcare workers (second dose) and 35,39,564 frontline workers (first dose), the Health Ministry said.

The second dose of Covid-19 vaccination started on February 13 for those beneficiaries who have completed 28 days after receipt of the first dose. Vaccination of the frontline workers started on February 2.

The ministry said nine states have administered more than five lakh doses each. These are --

• Uttar Pradesh: 11,52,042
• Maharashtra: 8,60,386
• Gujarat: 8,56,657
• Rajasthan: 7,99,719
• West Bengal: 6,50,976
• Karnataka: 6,29,420
• Madhya Pradesh: 6,26,391
• Bihar: 5,50,433
• Odisha: 5,01,713

(Source: PTI)

Eighteen states and Union Territories have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, according a statement from the Union Health Ministry.

These are Telangana, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Ladakh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

(Source: PTI)

Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have recorded an "upsurge" in daily new cases of Covid-19, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Kerala continues to report a high number of daily infections and in the past week, Maharashtra has exhibited a spike in the number of daily new cases, accounting for the highest spike in the country on Saturday, the ministry said in the statement.

"In the last 24 hours, 6,112 daily new cases have been reported in the state," it said.

Only two states, Maharashtra and Kerala, account for 75.87% of the total number of active Covid-19 cases, the ministry added.

The ministry said Punjab has also shown a sudden spike in the number of daily infections in the last seven days with 383 fresh cases recorded in the last 24 hours.

Chhattisgarh has also seen a rise in daily active cases. In the last 24 hours, 259 daily infections have been reported, it said.

"Since February 13, Madhya Pradesh is also witnessing a rise in the number of daily new cases. In the last 24 hours, 297 daily new cases have been registered in the state," the ministry said.

(Source: PTI)

Global Update

Pfizer Inc. plans to ramp up U.S. coronavirus vaccine production. Snow and freezing temperatures have led to a backlog of 6 million inoculations nationwide, the White House said.

Mexico, which has the world’s third-highest Covid-19 death toll, expects 10 million vaccine doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. by the end of May. Australia is due to start jabs on Monday. AstraZeneca Plc plans to manufacture doses in Japan, broadcaster NHK reported.

Group of Seven nations are giving a major boost to Covax, the global initiative to fund vaccinations in lower-income countries, indicating momentum toward a coordinated effort to address the pandemic.

Globally, Covid-19 cases topped 110.6 million with over 2.4 million dead. More than 199 million vaccine shots have been given worldwide.