India reported 2,380 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 4.49 crore. The number of active cases has decreased to 27,212 from 30,041 the day before, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. The death toll has increased to 5,31,659, with 15 new fatalities reported. The case fatality rate remained at 1.18%.
The ministry also reported that 220.66 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide so far. Delhi recorded 113 new cases and three COVID-19-related deaths on Saturday. The number of active cases in Delhi stands at 1,097, with 870 patients in home isolation.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has agreed to declassify the COVID-19 pandemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). At its 15th meeting on COVID-19, WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee addressed the pandemic, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus agreed that the PHEIC proclamation should be lifted.
He stated that the pandemic has been on a downward trend for more than a year, allowing most countries to return to life as it was before COVID-19. However, he also noted that thousands of people around the world are still fighting for their lives in intensive care units, and millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post-COVID conditions.