New Delhi: India's active COVID-19 caseload has fallen below 3.4 lakh, a mere 3.43 per cent of the total infections, supplemented by an impressive recovery rate of over 95 per cent, which is among the highest in the world for countries with high caseloads, the Union Health ministry said Tuesday.
The daily new cases recorded on Tuesday — 22,065 — were also the lowest in over five months. As many as 22,252 cases were reported on July 7, the ministry said.
The number of recoveries has crossed 94 lakhs (94,22,636), pushing the national recovery rate to over 95 per cent, which is "one of the highest in the world for countries with high caseload", the ministry underlined.
With a high number of patients recovering every day and the sustained fall in the mortality rate, the country's steady trend of decline in active cases continues, the ministry said.
There are 3,39,820 active cases of Coronavirus infections as on Tuesday. "The gap between active cases and recovered cases is continuously increasing and stands at 90,82,816. The national recovery rate has further escalated to 95.12 per cent," the ministry said.
The possibility of an adverse event after being vaccinated for COVID-19 cannot be ruled out, the government said on Tuesday and asked states and UTs to be prepared for this as part of the anti-Coronavirus inoculation drive.
At a press briefing, Secretary in the Health ministry Rajesh Bhushan said adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) are critical aspect and states have been asked to identify at least one adverse event following immunisation (AEFI)management centre in each block.
"Even during universal immunisation programmes, which have been going on for decades, some adverse effects are seen in children and pregnant women after they are administered shots.
"So, we can't deny the possibility of an adverse event when the COVID-19 vaccination begins. In countries where inoculation has already started, especially in the UK, adverse events took place on the very first day. So, it is essential that states and Union Territories prepare for this too," Bhushan said.
Meanwhile, 79 more people have tested positive on the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus in Chennai, taking the tally in the institution to 183, a senior health official said on Tuesday.