India records 39,097 fresh Covid cases

New Delhi: India's tally of COVID-19 infections rose by 39,097 in a day to reach 3,13,32,159, while 546 more people succumbed to the viral disease during the same period taking the death toll to 4,20,016 on Saturday, according to Union Health ministry data.

The number of active cases in the country has increased to 4,08,977, accounting for 1.34 per cent of the total caseload while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 97.35 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

An increase of 3,464 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a day.

Also, 16,31,266 tests to detect COVID-19 were carried out on Friday, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 45,45,70,811, while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.40 per cent. It has remained below 3 per cent for 33 days in a row.

The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.22 per cent.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 3,05,03,166, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data stated.

The total number of Covid vaccine doses administered so far in the country has reached 42.78 crore.

Meanwhile, a longer gap between first and second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine generates strong antibody and T cell immune responses, UK researchers have found.

The study, led by the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Universities of Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sheffield, and supported by the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, is one of the most comprehensive studies into the immune response generated by the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to date.

The Protective Immunity from T cells to Covid-19 in Health workers study (PITCH) found that T cell levels are well-maintained and antibody levels are higher following a longer interval between the first and second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, despite a significant drop in antibody levels between doses.