India witnessed a spike in COVID-19 infections on Saturday, reporting 743 new cases, marking the steepest single-day increase in 225 days. The Union health ministry disclosed that the current active cases tally stands at 3,997.
Over the past 24 hours, seven new fatalities were reported, with three in Kerala, two in Karnataka, and one each in Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, as per the ministry’s 8 am update.
Until December 5, daily cases remained in double digits, but a resurgence has been noted, attributed to colder weather conditions and the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant.
While the pandemic’s peak saw daily cases in the lakhs, the current figure is a reminder of the ongoing battle against the virus. The country has witnessed over 4.5 crore infections and more than 5.3 lakh deaths in the span of four years. However, a positive note lies in the recovery of over 4.4 crore individuals, yielding a national recovery rate of 98.81%, according to the ministry’s website.
The vaccination drive has been robust, with 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered across the country, as per the latest information on the ministry’s website.