116 found infected with UK COVID-19 strain in India: Health Ministry

New Delhi: As many as 116 people have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India until Saturday, said the Union Health Ministry.

The ministry further informed that India’s total active caseload now stands at 2,11,033, which accounts for only 2% of the total positive cases. The active caseload number was similar last on 29 June last year.

The total recoveries have crossed 96% of the total cases, at 96.56%. Recovered cases have crossed the 1 crore-mark to reach 1,01,79,715.

The gap between the total recovered cases and active cases has grown to 99,68,682, as on Saturday.

The improving figures come on the day when India launched the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the campaign virtually, terming it the “world’s largest vaccination programme" covering the entire length and breadth of the country.

The government said that a total of 3,006 session sites across all states and Union territories were virtually connected during the launch. Around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site on the inaugural day.

The prime minister said that there are only three countries—India, the US and China—that have a population of more than 30 crore people.

“In the first round itself, 3 crore people, which is more than the population of at least 100 countries of the world, are being vaccinated. This needs to be taken up to 30 crore in the second round when the elderly and people with serious co-morbidities will be vaccinated," Modi said.

In the first phase government and private-sector health care workers, including Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers, will receive the vaccine.

The drive will be held daily from 9 am to 5 pm, except on the days earmarked for routine immunisation programmes.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday termed the country's vaccination drive as the "beginning of the end of Covid-19." He also urged people to trust the indigenously manufactured vaccine, saying the government has given emergency use approval after proper scientific scrutiny.