Coronavirus India News
Over a year has passed since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the country on January 30, 2020. Till now, over 1.11 crore cases have been recorded in India, of which more than 1.08 crore have recuperated from the deadly disease. India on January 16 started its vaccination drive against the coronavirus, which is dubbed as the world’s biggest inoculation drive against the deadly pathogen. India had approved two vaccine candidates for emergency use authorisation in the country. The two vaccines approved are Covaxin, which is developed by Indian drug maker Bharat Biotech in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The other vaccine approved by India was Covishield, developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and is manufactured by Serum Institute of India. Since the start of the vaccination drive, a total of 1.08 crore people have been administered with either one or both vaccine doses. Meanwhile, the country is witnessing a surge in new COVID cases. The surge is reported in five states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. According to the health ministry, these states account for over 85 per cent of the new cases reported in the country from the past few weeks.