India has recorded 4,187 deaths due to Covid-19 in the last 24 hours -- the highest so far, along with 4,01,078 fresh cases, taking the total number of cases in the country to 2,18,92,676, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.
It is the fourth time after May 1 that India has crossed the four-lakh-mark of new cases in last 24 hours. On Friday, India recorded 4,14,188 cases. It also breached the maximum deaths in 24 hours. On May 6, India recorded 3,980 deaths -- the highest till then.
In the past 16 days India has continued with over three lakh cases and over 3,000 casualties have for last 10 days. India's total tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,18,92,676 with 37,23,446 active cases and a total of 2,34,083 deaths, so far.
According to the Health Ministry, a total of 3,18,609 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, while 1,79,30,960 people have been discharged till date. The Health Ministry said that a total of 16,73,46,544 people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 22,97,257, who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 30,04,10,043 samples have been tested up to Friday (May 7) for Covid-19. Of these 18,08,344 samples were tested on Friday.
Harsh Vardhan assures Mamata of all help
Meanwhile, following crowded electioneering in West Bengal and a possibility for rapid spread of the Covid-19 in the state, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday assured West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of all help to fight Covid in the state.
In a letter to Banerjee, who has just taken over for her third stint in power, he said that since the very onset of the pandemic, the Centre has been supporting each and every state across the country not just financially, but also through requisite diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, vaccines and other essential material and services.
Earlier, Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to issue instructions for immediate allocation of at least 550 metric tonnes of medical oxygen to the state.
Posting his four-page letter to Banerjee, Harsh Vardhan tweeted: "Diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines, oxygen,or augmenting health infra. Rest assured Mamata Didi, whatever West Bengal needs, Narendra ModiJi's Government stands resolute to provide, in order to help it effectively fight Covid 19 pandemic."
Listing the Centre's support, he wrote that as on date, West Bengal has already been provided a total of 1,18,83,340 vaccine doses and further 2,00,000 doses are in the pipeline for immediate supply.
"Government of India has so far provided West Bengal with 18.38 lakh N95 masks, 4.84 lakh PPE kits, 1,245 ventilators and 43.5 lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets for management of Covid-19 pandemic," he noted.
The Health Minister said that apart from the delivery of these essential medical devices and drugs, West Bengal has been supported with a financial grant of Rs 295.28 crore under the Covid-19 package. On oxygen, he said West Bengal has been allocated 308 MT of oxygen to meet the demand from April 25 onwards.
