India recorded a significant milestone in its countrywide Covid-19 vaccination drive with more than 20.5 lakh vaccine doses being administered on Day-56 of the vaccination drive (March 12). This is the highest single day vaccine administration so far, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

More than 2.82 crore vaccine doses have now been administered since the campaign started on January 16 with the target of inoculated 30 crore people by August. 

Fresh Covid cases

As many as 24,882 new Covid cases were reported in the last 24 hours with Maharashtra accounting for as many as 15,817 of them. Kerala with 1,780 cases and Punjab with 1,408 were at the second and third spot respectively. Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh were the other affected states reporting from 600 to 850  fresh cases during the day.

The seven states together account for 87.72% of the new cases in the last 24 hours.

India’s total active caseload stood at 2.02 lakh on Saturday with Maharashtra accounting for 63.57% of the patients.

Seven states are displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases.

The figures showed that 160 people died in the last 24 hours due to Covid-19.

Five States account for 81.43% of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (56). Punjab follows with 34 daily deaths. Kerala has reported 14 deaths.

As many as 18 states and UTs have not reported any COVID19 deaths in the last 24 hours.

These are Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Assam, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, D&D and D&N, Sikkim, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, A&N Islands, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.