With 602 new infections, active Covid cases in India recorded at 4,440

New Delhi: Five new Covid fatalities have been recorded in the country and 602 fresh cases of the virus, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

The number of active cases of the infection has been recorded at 4,440.

While two new fatalities have been recorded from Kerala, one each has been reported from Karnataka, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

In Kerala, one of the deceased was a 66-year-old man who was suffering from chronic liver disease, multiple organ disfunction syndrome and sepsis, while the other one was a 79-year old woman who had coronary artery disease and sepsis.

The number of daily cases of Covid had dropped to double-digits till December 5, 2023 but cases have again gone up after emergence of a new variant and cold weather conditions.

The daily numbers were in lakhs during the peak of the pandemic, which began in early 2020 and has seen more than 4.5 crore people getting infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at over 4.4 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

According to the website, 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.