Covid-19: Official toll crosses 4 lakh; active cases drop sharply

Beneficiaries wait in a queue to get Covid-19 vacccine , at a community hall in Ahmedabad, on Friday. Pic/PTI

India saw a single-day rise of 46,617 new Coronavirus infections and 853 fatalities, which took the total Covid-19 toll to 4,00,312, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday morning.

The active cases dropped sharply by 13,620 to 5,09,637. The national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 97.01 per cent. Weekly positivity rate has declined to 2.57 per cent. Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for 50th consecutive days.

Meanwhile, the ministry on Friday approved vaccination for pregnant women in India, based on recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI).

They can now register on CoWIN portal or walk-in to the nearest Covid-19 vaccination centre to get themselves inoculated. The decision has been communicated to all the states and union territories to implement it under the ongoing National Covid-19 Vaccination Program.

Kanwar Yatra to Haridwar cancelled

The Uttarakhand govern-ment on Friday cancelled the annual Kanwar Yatra to Haridwar due to the pandemic. State govern-ment spokesperson Subodh Uniyal told ANI the decision was a precautionary meas-ure. It was cancelled last year as well. The Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's devotees. Every year, during the Hindu calendar month of Saavan, thousands of devotees from across India, undertake the pilgri-mage to Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch Ganga water.

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