India adds 12,830 new Covid infections, 446 fresh fatalities

New Delhi: With 12,830 people testing positive for Coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,42,73,300, while the active cases declined to 1,59,272, the lowest in 247 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday.

The death toll climbed to 4,58,186 with 446 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The daily rise in new Coronavirus infections has been below 20,000 for 23 straight days and less than 50,000

daily new cases have been reported for 126 consecutive days now.

The active cases comprise 0.46 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.20 per cent, the ministry said.

A decline of 2,283 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,36,55,842, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.34 per cent.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.13 per cent. It has been less than two per cent for last 27 days. The weekly positivity rate was also recorded at 1.18 per cent. It has been below two per cent for the last 37 days, according to the ministry.

The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 106.14 crore.

Meanwhile the PMO said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a review meeting on November 3 with district magistrates of over 40 districts having low COVID-19 vaccination coverage.

The meeting, which will be held via video conferencing, will include districts with less than 50 per cent coverage of the first dose and low coverage of the second dose of the vaccine, it said.

The 40 districts are spread across Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Meghalaya among other states, and chief ministers of these states will also attend the meeting.

Modi will be holding the meeting immediately on his return from abroad

after attending the G20 and COP26 meetings, the PMO noted.

Highlighting the need to accelerate the pace and coverage of vaccination, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had recently stated that there are more than 10.34 crore people in the country who have not taken the second dose of the vaccine after the expiry of the prescribed interval. Moreover, sources on Sunday said that Zydus Cadila has agreed to bring down the price of its COVID-19 vaccine to Rs 265 a dose following persistent negotiations by the government but a final deal is yet to be reached.

Zydus Cadila's ZyCov-D is the first vaccine cleared by India's drug regulator for inoculation of those aged 12 years and above.

To administer the needle-free vaccine, a disposable painless jet applicator costing Rs 93 is required for each dose, which would take the price to Rs 358 per dose.

The Ahmedabad-based pharma company earlier had proposed a price of Rs 1,900 for its three-dose regimen, sources said.

"The company has brought down the price to Rs 358 for each dose which includes Rs 93, the cost of a disposable jet applicator, following repeated negotiations by the government.... A final decision in the matter is likely to be taken this week," a source in the know of developments said.

The three doses are to be administered 28 days apart, with each dose comprising a shot in both arms.

The indigenously developed world's first DNA-based needle-free COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D received emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator on August 20.