Daily fatalities see slight dip, new cases remain over 4 lakh

NEW DELHI, May 9
As many as 4,03,738 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload to 2,22,96,414, said the Union Health Ministry on Sunday morning.
The daily tally has only seen a slight increase when compared to Saturday. However, the country has seen over 4 lakh cases for five consecutive days now.
New fatalities saw a minimal dip in the last 24 hours with 4,092 more people succumbing to the disease. The cumulative death toll now stands at 2,42,362.
The number had crossed over 4,100 on Saturday.
In addition to this, 3,86,444 were discharged across India in the same duration, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,83,17,404.
As a result, there are 37,36,648 active cases in the country currently. The tally only rose slightly as it stood at 37,23,446 the day before.
India has tested 30,22,75,471 samples for Covid-19 until now, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Out of these, 18,65,428 samples were tested on Saturday. The testing number went up by a few thousand as it stood at 18,08,344 on Friday.
Vaccination in India
The country has so far administered 16,94,39,663 anti-Covid jabs.
The Nationwide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January with healthcare workers getting the jabs first. The drive for frontline workers started on 2 February.
The next phase of Covid-19 vaccination commenced on 1 March for those over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.
The country launched vaccination for those aged above 45 from 1 April.
The implementation of the Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy for inoculating those in the age group of 18-44 years started from 1 May amid many States flagging a shortage of vaccines.
Indian variant in neighbouring countries
India's neighbours- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh- have reported the first cases of the Indian variant of coronavirus, also known as B.1.617, prompting authorities to exercise caution to contain its spread.
In its report last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had said that the Indian strain of the coronavirus has been found in at least 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, USA and Singapore.
The B.1.617 variant has three new spike protein mutations. Two mutations -- E484Q and L452R -- are in the area important for antibody-based neutralisation.
The third mutation -- P681R -- allows the virus to enter cells a little better. These are defining characteristics of the variant.
The B.1.617 variant has been found prevalent largely in Maharashtra and Delhi that have been severely hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic.
Foreign aid
The country received 2,060 oxygen concentrators, 30,000 vials of Remdesivir, 467 ventilators and three oxygen generation plants from US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands and Israel on Friday. According to the Health Ministry, India has been receiving international donations and aid of Covid-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since 27 April from different countries and organisations.
"Cumulatively, 6,608 Oxygen Concentrators, 3,856 Oxygen Cylinders, 14 Oxygen Generation Plants, 4,330 ventilators/Bi PAP and about three lakh Remdesivir vials have been delivered/ dispatched, from April 27 to May 7," the Ministry said. The Mint