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68% decline in daily cases, five states reporting 65% of new cases: Health ministry

377 districts in the country are reporting less than five per cent case positivity

PTI04_19_2021_000091B Representational image | PTI

Even as the country continues to witness a decline in COVID-19 cases—1,32,364 new coronavirus infections were reported on Friday—the health ministry said there has been a continuous decrease in districts reporting more than 100 daily new cases.

The health ministry, on Friday, said when compared to the peak in numbers reported on May 7, when the highest-ever cases were reported, there is a 68 per cent decline in daily cases. Sixty-five per cent of new cases are coming effectively from five states and the rest from remaining states and Union territories, which suggests that we have been able to locally contain the virus, the ministry said.

Joint health secretary Lav Agarwal said the recovery rate in the country has improved to 93.1 per cent and added that 377 districts in the country are reporting less than five per cent case positivity.

NITI Aayog member Dr. V.K. Paul said Covaxin and Zydus vaccines are already being tested in children. "We will need around 25 crore doses. We will have to take this into account when we strategise. Information and analysis being continually being examined. We have been working with Bharat Biotech and WHO, data sharing is on, we are keen that this milestone is achieved soon. We are pursuing it," he said.

He further said the  number of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine in India is 17.2 crore. "We have overtaken the US in terms of the number of people in our country who have received the first dose of vaccine," he said.

NITI Aayog Member V.K. Saraswat had earlier said India has managed the second COVID wave very well as the number of fresh cases have come down significantly.

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