India adds 21,411 COVID-19 cases, 67 deaths

PTI, Jul 23, 2022, 10:00 AM IST

India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 4,38,68,476 on Saturday with 21,411 fresh cases, while the number of active cases increased to 1,50,100, according to Union health ministry data.

The death toll climbed to 5,25,997 as 67 more people succumbed to the viral disease, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.34 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.46 per cent, the ministry said.

An increase of 618 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate stood at 4.46 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 4.46 per cent, the ministry said.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,31,92,379, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent, it said.

So far, 201.68 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country under the nationwide vaccination drive, according to the ministry.

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the 1-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore cases on May 4, 3 crore on June 23 last year and 4 crore on January 25 this year.

The 67 new fatalities include 32 from Kerala; seven from West Bengal; six from Maharashtra; three each from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh; two each from Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Meghalaya; and one each from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu.

Of the 5,25,997 deaths reported so far in the country, 1,48,051 were from Maharashtra, 70,366 from Kerala, 40,132 from Karnataka, 38,032 from Tamil Nadu, 26,298 from Delhi, 23,559 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,307 from West Bengal.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that the state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.