Port Blair, Jan 15 (PTI) The COVID-19 tally of Andaman and Nicobar Islands rose to 8,538 as 73 more people tested positive for the disease in the last 24 hours, a health department official said on Saturday.<br> Twenty-seven new patients have travel history, while 46 infections were detected during contact tracing, he said.<br> The Union Territory had on Thursday reported 68 fresh cases. <br> Sixty-three more people recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries in the archipelago to 7,938.<br> The death toll remained at 129 as no new fatality due to the infection was reported during the period.<br> The Union Territory now has 471 active cases.<br> Altogether 6,00,335 people have been inoculated till January 13, with 2,97,245 of them having received both doses of vaccines. <br> At least 17,342 beneficiaries in the age group 15-18 years have been given the first dose of COVID vaccine. <br> The administration has conducted over 6.76 lakh sample tests for COVID-19 till Thursday, and the positivity rate stood at 1.25 per cent, the official added. PTI COR<br>BDC BDC