Covid cases likely to start subsiding after 10-12 days

New Delhi: Covid in India is moving towards the endemic stage, so the cases may keep rising for the next 10-12 days after which they will subside, official sources said on Wednesday. The sources said even though the cases are increasing, hospitalisation is low and expected to remain low. The current rise in Covid cases is being driven by XBB.1.16, which is a sub variant of Omicron, they added. While Omicron and its sub-lineages continue to be the dominant variant, most of the assigned variants have little or no significant transmissibility, disease severity or immune escape. The prevalence of XBB.1.16 increased from 21.6 per cent in February this year to 35.8 per cent in March. However, no evidence of an increase in hospitalisation or mortality has been reported, official sources said.

Maharashtra reported nine Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest in the latest surge in infections in the state. The state also reported 1,115 fresh Covid cases, according to the government's latest bulletin.

India has registered a single-day rise of 7,830 new coronavirus infections, the highest in 223 days, and the count of active cases in the country has increased to 40,215, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll due to the disease has increased to 5,31,016 with 16 new fatalities being reported – two each in Delhi, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and one each in Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, and five reconciled by Kerala – the data updated at 8 am stated. The tally of Covid cases in the country was recorded at 4.47 crore (4,47,76,002), it showed. The country had recorded a single-day jump of 7,946 COVID-19 cases on September 1 last year. The count of active cases now comprises 0.09 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.72 per cent, according to the health ministry website. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,42,04,771, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent, the data showed. According to the ministry's website, 220.66 crore doses of vaccines have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said the company has restarted manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield amid rising numbers of cases of the virus infection. He said the company already has six million booster doses of Covovax vaccine available and adults must take the booster shot. "Just as a precaution, at risk we have done it so that people have Covishield as a choice if they want it," Poonawalla told PTI on restarting manufacturing of the vaccine. He further said Serum Institute of India (SII) will make 6-7 million doses of Covishield available in 90 days and it could take up to nine months to further build up the stock based on demand.