India reported a total 185 fresh Covid cases on Thursday in the last 24 hours, said the Union Health Ministry, amid calls to end Bharat Jodo Yatra, that is receiving huge crowds in every state it is entering.
In the last 24 hours, the country has recorded one Covid related death, taking the national toll to 5,30,681 as per the report. The active caseload of the country presently stands at 3,402 cases, accounting for 0.01 per cent of the country's total positive cases.
The recovery of 190 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,41,42,432. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.80 per cent.
Also in the same period, a total of 1,17,538 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 89.95 crore. As of Thursday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 220.02 crore.
Bharat Jodo Yatra
Meanwhile, Swami Chakrapani Maharaj, National President of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, has demanded Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to stop the Bharat Jodo Yatra from entering the national capital in the wake of the latest Covid scare.
Speaking to IANS, Chakrapani said: "I request the Delhi Chief Minister should not allow Rahul Gandhi's yatra to enter the national capital. Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible and careless leader. Covid is spreading throughout the world, including China, the US, and other countries.
"Covid cases have been reported in India as well. Rahul Gandhi's yatra is not a Bharat Jodo Yatra, but a Covid spread yatra. This needs to be stopped". Chakrapani further said that "last time the Tablighi Jamaat had spread Covid in the country".
Amid a Covid resurgence in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, China and the US, the Central government had on Tuesday urged all states and union territories to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive samples to keep track of emerging variants.
In a letter, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had said such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures.
(With inputs from IANS)
