COVID: India reports over 3,300 new cases, 60 deaths in last 24 hours; Delhi and Haryana worst hit

COVID-19 India News Updates: India recorded 3,377 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 60 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Friday (April 29), the country saw a total of 2,496 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 98.74 per cent and total recoveries data reached to 4,25,30,622.

The total active cases of COVID-19 in India have rose to 17,801 (0.04%) the ministry data showed today. Yesterday, the registered active cases were 16,980. 

The  active cases comprise 0.04 per cent of the total infections, the ministry said. An increase of 821 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The total death toll in the country is now at 5,23,753. In India, the first death due to the COVID pandemic was reported in March 2020.

The daily positivity rate is 0.71 per cent on April 29. 

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year.

ICMR data on COVID testing: 

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 83,69,45,383 samples have been tested up to April 28 for COVID-19. Of these 4,73,635 samples were tested on Thursday.

Delhi COVID tally: 

Additionally, Delhi's fresh COVID-19 cases rose by nearly nine per cent in last 24 hours as the city recorded 1,490 infections on Thursday and two deaths while the positivity rate stood at 4.62 per cent, according to data shared by the health department.

It was the seventh consecutive day that the national capital recorded over 1,000 daily new cases. Prior to that, the city had reported 1,604 cases on February 5. The infection tally in the national capital rose to 18,79,948 and the death toll was 26,172, the bulletin stated.

A total of 32,248 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the city on Wednesday, it said. Delhi had reported 1,367 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality on Wednesday, while the positivity rate stood at 4.50 per cent.

New COVID variant:

Meanwhile, a new variant of the novel coronavirus, BA.12, was found in Bihar's Patna on Thursday. According to the state's health department, the new variant of Omicron was found in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS).

BA.12 is 10 times more dangerous than BA.2 which was detected during the third wave of coronavirus in the country.

Prof Dr. Namrata Kumari, the HOD of microbiology department of IGIMS, said, "Keeping in view the rising COVID cases, we had started genome sequencing of samples of Omicron variant of corona. There were 13 samples tested and one of them had BA.12 strains. The remaining 12 samples have BA.2 strains."

"We have asked the authority for contact tracing of all the positive samples of Omicron. The BA.12 variant is 10 time more dangerous than BA.2. Though, there is no need to worry. Precaution is required here to protect from it," she said.

The BA.12 variant was first detected in the United States. 

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