India reported 180 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This is the lowest daily count since March 2020, when the pandemic began in the country. The total number of confirmed cases in India now stands at 45,001,764, of which 44,468,365 have recovered and 533,298 have died. The active cases are 4,101, the lowest in 21 months
The low number of new cases reflects the success of the vaccination programme, which has administered over 2.2 billion doses so far. More than 720 million people have been fully vaccinated, which is about 52% of the eligible population. India has approved four vaccines for emergency use: Covishield, Covaxin, Sputnik V and Moderna
However, experts have warned that the threat of the virus is not over yet, and people should continue to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and avoiding large gatherings. India has faced two devastating waves of COVID-19, one in September 2020 and another in April-May 2021, which overwhelmed the health system and caused shortages of oxygen, beds and medicines
The second wave was driven by a new variant of the virus, known as Delta, which was first detected in India and has since spread to many countries. Delta is more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines than the original strain. Scientists are also monitoring other variants of concern, such as Omicron, which was recently reported in South Africa and has been detected in several countries, including India
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to boost their vaccination rates and strengthen their surveillance systems to detect and contain new variants. The WHO has also advised travellers to check the latest travel restrictions and requirements before travelling, as some countries have imposed bans or tightened rules for arrivals from countries with Omicron cases.
India has been praised for its role in the global fight against COVID-19, as it has supplied vaccines and medical aid to many countries, especially in the developing world. India is also a part of the COVAX initiative, which aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all countries. India has pledged to resume its vaccine exports from January 2022, after meeting its domestic demand.
