India reported 198 new COVID-19 infections in a single day, bringing the total number of active cases down to 1,764, according to the Union health ministry on Thursday. A single death was reported in Punjab within the 24-hour period.
The daily cases had dropped to double digits until December 5, but a resurgence occurred after the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant and in cold weather conditions. On December 31, 2023, the highest single-day rise of 841 new cases was recorded, accounting for 0.2% of the peak cases reported in May 2021.
Of the 1,764 active cases, approximately 92% are recovering under home isolation. The data suggests that the JN.1 variant is not causing an exponential rise in new cases or a surge in hospitalizations and mortality, according to official sources.
India has experienced three waves of COVID-19 in the past, with the Delta wave peaking during April-June 2021. At its highest, on May 7, 2021, 4,14,188 new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported. Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, over 4.5 crore people have been infected, and over 5.3 lakh have died in the country.
The number of recoveries stands at over 4.4 crore, with a national recovery rate of 98.81%, as per the ministry's website. The country has administered 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date.
(With Agency Inputs)
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