New Delhi: Covid-19 deaths on Wednesday crossed the 2 lakh mark in India as 3,286 people died of the virus in the last 24 hours. The daily deaths were at a record high on Tuesday in the country as they went above the 3000-mark since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Only the US (5.7 lakh, Brazil (3.9 lakh and Mexico (2.15) lakh have registered a higher death toll.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease is 1,48,17,371, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.12 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Registering a steady increase, the active cases have risen to 29,78,709, comprising 16.55 per cent of the total infections, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has further dropped to 82.33 per cent, it said.
The death toll stands at 2,01,187, the data stated.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope Wednesday said the Covid-induced restrictions in the state will be extended by another 15 days. The restrictions were to end on April 30. The state government also declared that it will provide free Covid vaccination to all citizens aged between 18-44.
The Maharashtra government’s decision follows a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Amid rising Covid-19 infections in the state, all cabinet ministers requested an extension of the lockdown, Tope said, earlier today.
In the backdrop of a massive spike in coronavirus infections, the state government had announced a weekend lockdown on April 4 and placed curbs on the movement of people in the night during the weekdays till April 30.
The government had also clamped other restrictions like the closure of private offices, theatres and salons to curb the unprecedented surge in the cases.
Currently, the weekend lockdown is in force from 8 pm on Fridays and lasts till 7 am on Mondays.
Earlier, the state government had also directed groceries, vegetable shops and dairies to remain open only for four hours, between 7 am and 11 am, and banned home delivery after 8 pm till May 1.
The registration for Covid vaccination for all above 18 years of age began on Co-WIN portal and Aarogya Setu app from 4 pm Wednesday. However, high user traffic resulted in both the platforms crashing for a brief period. Both the platforms are working fine now.
