New Delhi: The country reported a single-day rise of 752 coronavirus infections, the highest since May 21, 2023. The active cases across the nation have increased to 3,420, stated the Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am on Saturday.
The death toll was recorded at 5,33,332, since the pandemic outbreak three years ago. The count included four new deaths, two from Kerala, one each in Rajasthan and Karnataka, reported in the last 24 hours, said the Union Ministry.
The country's COVID-19 case tally stood at 4.50 crore and the number of people who recuperated from the disease to date has increased to 4,44,71,212. The national recovery rate stands at 98.81 per cent and the fatality rate stands at 1.19 per cent, according to the health ministry's website.
The data also stated that 220.67 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the country so far.
Karnataka asks people to wear masks in crowded places
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday urged people to wear masks in crowded places in the wake of the threat of a fresh wave of COVID-19.
Addressing reporters at Mangaluru after a review meeting, the minister also said there is no cause for panic, but people should be cautious. No restrictions will be imposed and wearing masks will not be made compulsory for the time being, he said.
Telangana records 9 new COVID-19 cases on Friday
Telangana reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Friday with Hyderabad accounting for eight of them while one was reported from Rangareddy. The total number of cases under treatment/ isolation stood at 27, according to a Health department bulletin.
Meanwhile, a 14-month-old boy and a two-month-old girl tested positive for COVID-19 at the state-run Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad and they were in the isolation ward, a senior Health official said.
Rajasthan health department forms state-level COVID-19 management team
Rajasthan health department has formed a state-level team for the prevention and control of COVID-19 infection, amid a rise in cases across the country in other states, including other states like Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
COVID-19 possibly peaked in Singapore
The latest wave of COVID-19 cases in Singapore has possibly peaked, and there is no need for additional measures, like wearing a face mask mandate, to be implemented, said Minister for Health (MOH) Ong Ye Kung.
"We might have a slight surge, but I think more or less, we are seeing the peak of this wave", said Ong.
However, having about 600 to 700 hospital beds taken up by COVID-19 patients is quite a strain on the system, the minister noted. "We are a 10,000 bed-strong system. To take up 600 or 700 beds, it's six-seven per cent, which is not small. It's a significant workload on our healthcare workers and our system", Ong added.
(With PTI inputs)
