India logs fresh 15,786 COVID cases, over 18,000 recoveries in 24 hours; active cases decline to 1.75 lakh

India, fresh COVID cases, fatalities, coronavirus pandemic, covid latest news updates, coronavirus c — Image Source : PTI/ REPRESENTATIONAL (FILE).
Students after receiving COVID vaccine dose at International Health Vaccination centre in Hyderabad.

India recorded 15,786 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 231 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Friday, the country saw a total of 18,641 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 98.16 per cent which is the highest since March 2020 and total recoveries data reached to 3,35,14,449.

The total active cases of COVID-19 in India slightly dipped to 1,75,745, the ministry data showed.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 59,70,66,481 samples have been tested up to October 21 for COVID-19. Of these 13,24,263 samples were tested on Thursday.

The total death toll in the country is now at 4,53,042. In India, the first death due to COVID pandemic was reported in March 2020.

Meanwhile, the cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore milestone on Thursday. According to official sources, around 75 per cent of India's all eligible adult population has been administered at least the first dose and around 31 per cent has received both the doses of the vaccine. India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Also, Kerala on Thursday recorded 8,733 fresh COVID cases, a day after the daily infections had gone above the 10,000 mark, and 118 deaths which raised the caseload to 48,79,317 and death toll to 27,202.

After recording less than 10,000 COVID cases from October 14 to 19, fresh infections had jumped to 11,150 in Kerala on Wednesday.

With 9,855 more people recovering from the virus since Wednesday, the total recoveries touched 47,79,228 and the active cases dropped to 81,496, a state government release said. As many as 86,303 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.