India saw a single-day rise of 28,591 coronavirus infections, taking the overall tally to 3,32,36,921, even as active cases declined by nearly 6,600 in a day to stand at 3,84,921, according to Union Health Ministry data updated Sunday.
The death toll climbed to 4,42,655 with 338 daily fatalities reported Sunday, the data released at 8 am showed. The number of active cases declined by 6,595 in a span of 24 hours to stand at 3,84,921, constituting 1.16 per cent of the total infections, while the Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.51 per cent, the health ministry said.
Holding that 73 crore people of the country’s population have received their vaccination, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday said vaccination was the only medicine to boost the economy as it allows people to conduct businesses regularly or farmers to carry out farming activity.
“Vaccination programme has been going on smoothly in the country and so far 73 crore people have already received jabs free of charge. Today, through vaccination programme, people were able to conduct business, traders were able to procure products to run businesses, (thereby) boosting economy, or farmers were able to do farming…So, vaccination is the only medicine (to combat the virus, to boost economy)…,” she said.
Sitharaman made those comments while delivering her address at the centenary celebrations of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank here on Sunday.
On Sunday, the health ministry in Tamil Nadu eyeing to inoculate 20 lakh people is holding a ‘Mega Vaccination Camp’ through 40,000 camps being conducted across the State.
“All our prayers are not for a third wave (of the Covid-19 virus). Suppose, if it occurs, then one has to think about the availability of hospitals, even if there is an hospital, does it have an ICU and even if there is an ICU, does it have an oxygen support? For all these questions, the Ministry announced a scheme allowing hospitals to ramp up expansion when there was huge impact in the country caused by the second wave (of Covid-19),” she said.
Sitharaman said hospitals located in rural areas were able to take up expansion work by availing the schemes announced by the Ministry, including the “viability gap funding” scheme.
“Through the report by Tamilnad Mercantile Bank, we are able to see that they take the schemes announced by the Ministry to the beneficiaries (hospitals). It is a necessary (in today’s scenario). Not only public sector banks, private sector banks should follow suit,” she said.
Earlier, paying rich encomiums to the Nadar community for establishing the bank in May 1921 in Tuticorin, the Minister said today Tamilnad Mercantile Bank has gained “universal acceptance” and has presence in all the 26 states and four union territories. pti
