On April 18, a total of 7,633 new covid-19 infections were recorded in the last 24 hours in the country, marking a significant dip from April 17when 9,111 cases were reported, as per the daily health bulletin released by the Union Health Ministry.
It said that the active caseload currently stands at 61,233. Active cases are 0.14 per cent of the total cases reported in the country.
As per the health bulletin, the daily positivity rate currently stands at 3.63 per cent while the weekly positivity rate stands at 5. 04 per cent.
With 6,702 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries stands at 4, 42, 42,474 with a recovery rate standing at 98.68 per cent.
The total Covid vaccine doses administered in the country under the nationwide vaccination drive are 220.66 crores with 749 doses administered in the last 24 hours.
The total number of tests conducted so far currently stands at 92.43 crores with 2, 11, 029 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
Amid the recent upsurge in Covid cases, medical experts have warned that the new XBB1.16 variant is able to evade the immune system of the people and the upcoming four weeks are very crucial.
Former director of AIIMS, Delhi, Dr Randeep Guleria, on April 14, said while the country was seeing a fresh surge in Covid-19 infections, the situation isn’t one to induce panic.
Amidst a gradual spike in COVID-19 cases in several states, mock drills were undertaken on April 10 and 11 in a total of 33,685 health facilities, including 28,050 government facilities and 5,635 private health facilities.
Earlier this month, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said lawyers are free to appear virtually in court in the wake of the rising number of Covid cases.
CJI Chandrachud said newspaper reports show that Covid cases are on the rise and if a lawyer wants to appear virtually before the court they can and the hybrid mode is also on.
“We saw newspaper reports on rising Covid cases. Lawyers can use hybrid mode. If you choose to appear online, we will hear you,” said the CJI earlier in the month
The Supreme Court had reverted to the physical hearing mode of adjudication of cases from April 4, 2022, after taking into account the low infection rate and the number of Covid cases in Delhi and across the country.
The apex court has been successfully experimenting with the hybrid method — a combination of physical and virtual hearing for quite some time.
The Supreme Court has also started live-streaming the Constitution bench proceedings through the Supreme Court app and YouTube even after the resumption of physical hearings.
