India’s coronavirus tally continued to climb at a gradual pace as the country works to quash new outbreaks and ready itself for a vaccine rollout.
India reported over 36,652 new cases in 24 hours, taking the total tally over 96 lakh in the world’s second-worst infected country, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8 a.m. on Dec. 5. That includes over 4.09 lakh recoveries and more than 1.3 lakh deaths.
Key Figures
- Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 96,08,211
- Active cases: 4,09,689
- Cured/discharged/migrated: 90,58,822
- Deaths: 1,39,700
- Number of fresh cases in 24 hours: 36,652
- One-day recoveries: 42,533
- One-day deaths: 512
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India’s vaccination drive would begin as soon as scientists gave a go-ahead. He asserted that frontline health and essential workers, along with older population suffering from serious ailments would be prioritised for a vaccine shot.
Nearly eight vaccines are at different stages of trial with their manufacturing assured in India, Modi said at an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss the pandemic situation. Three vaccines from India are also at different stages of trial, he said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Biotechnology said it is important to have a large basket of Covid-19 vaccine candidates as it is very difficult to ascertain which one would work the best. Different vaccines are developed on different platforms, each with its own benefits and challenges, DBT secretary Renu Swarup said.
Earlier in the week, the Supreme Court pulled up authorities of Centre and states saying that Covid-19 guidelines of wearing a mask and keeping physical distance were being flouted by the public. The top court questioned as to why large gatherings, including political ones, were being allowed during a pandemic.