As the third wave of COVID-19 in India shows a downward trend, India on Friday, 11 February, reported 58,077 new COVID-19 cases, 657 deaths, and 1,50,407 recoveries.
The number of active cases stand at 6,97,802. Meanwhile, the daily positivity rate has dropped down to 3.89 percent.
The government on Thursday had addressed a press conference and said that early decline in COVID-19 cases is being noted globally and India is seeing a consistent decrease in cases as well.
"Overall situation is very optimistic. However, some states including Kerala, Mizoram, Himachal are still reporting a large number of cases. We cannot lower our guard," the government added.
Delhi reported 1,104 fresh COVID-19 cases on Thursday, while Mumbai recorded 429 new infections
Indian pharma major Glenmark on Wednesday announced the launch of nasal spray to treat adult COVID-19 patients
Gujarat Reports 1,883 New COVID Cases
Gujarat reports 1,883 fresh COVID cases, 5,005 recoveries, and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Total recoveries stand at 11,83,294, while reported active cases are 18,301 and the death toll is 10,775.
Delhi Reports 977 New Cases
Delhi reports 977 fresh infections, 12 deaths and 1,591 recoveries in the last 24 hours. Active cases in the national capital stand at 4,812.
Kerala Reports 16k New Cases
Kerala reports 16,012 new cases, 43,087 recoveries and 27 deaths in last 24 hours.
‘Still Need To Be Cautious’: WHO Chief Scientist
World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, in an interview with Bloomberg, has blamed vaccine policies of wealthy countries such as the United States and other European nations for the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus.
She was quoted as saying, “Eighty-five percent of people in Africa have not received their first dose. This is a recipe for letting new variants develop because a virus is transmitting unchecked.”
Further, though the third wave is subsiding globally, Swaminathan believes there is a long road ahead before COVID-19 can be put behind.
On being asked when the pandemic will end, Swaminathan said, “I don’t think anybody can predict that. Let’s not declare the pandemic over as some people are doing now. It would be foolish to drop all precautions that we’ve been taking all this time. We need to continue that and hopefully by the end of 2022, we’ll be in a much better position. A variant can arise anywhere and you’re back to square one. We still need to be cautious.”