NEW DELHI:India's tally of COVID-19 infections rose by 39,097 in a day to reach 3,13,32,159, while 546 more people succumbed to the viral disease during the same period taking the death toll to 4,20,016 on Saturday, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The number of active cases in the country has increased to 4,08,977, accounting for 1.34 per cent of the total caseload while the national COVID-19 recovery rate stood at 97.35 per cent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
An increase of 3,464 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a day.
Also, 16,31,266 tests to detect COVID-19 were carried out on Friday, taking the total number of such tests conducted so far in the country to 45,45,70,811, while the daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.40 per cent.
It has remained below 3 per cent for 33 days in a row.
The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.22 per cent.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 3,05,03,166, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data stated.
The total number of Covid vaccine doses administered so far in the country has reached 42.78 crore.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30-lakh mark on August 23, 40-lakh mark on September 5, and 50-lakh mark on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh on September 28 last year, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and the one-crore mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 this year and the three-crore mark on June 23.
The 546 new fatalities include 167 from Maharashtra and 132 from Kerala.
A total of 4,20,016 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,31,205 in Maharashtra, 36,323 in Karnataka, 33,862 in Tamil Nadu, 25,041 in Delhi, 22,748 in Uttar Pradesh and 18,056 in West Bengal.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
Nearly 38,87,028 vaccine doses have been administered on Friday, according to the 7 pm provisional report.
The ministry said 18,09,954 vaccine doses were administered as first dose and 1,92,363 vaccine doses given as second dose in the age group 18-44 years on Friday.
Cumulatively, 13,52,21,119 persons in the age group 18-44 years across states and union territories have received their first dose and total 57,54,908 have received their second dose since the start of phase-3 of the vaccination drive.
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have administered more than 1 crore cumulative doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the age group 18-44 years.
Also, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Kerala, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal have vaccinated over 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for the first dose of Covid vaccine, the ministry said.
More than 2.98 crore balance and unutilized COVID-19 vaccine doses are still available with the states, Union Territories and private hospitals, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.
Over 44.53 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far through all sources and a further 85,58,360 doses are in the pipeline, it said.
Of this, the total consumption including wastage is 41,55,50,543 doses.