India records 203 fresh Covid cases, two deaths in 24 hours

New Delhi: India reported a single-day rise of 203 Covid cases while the active caseload was recorded at 2,034, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday.

Two deaths -- one each in Kerala and Maharashtra -- have been reported in 24 hours, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases had dropped to double-digits till December 5 but began to rise after the emergence of a new variant and cold conditions.

A single-day rise of 841 fresh infections -- 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021 -- was recorded on December 31, official sources have said.

Of the total active cases, a large majority around 92 per cent are recovering in home isolation.

"The currently available data suggests that the JN.1 variant is neither leading to an exponential rise in new cases nor a surge in hospitalisation and mortality," the official sources have said.

India has witnessed three COVID-19 waves with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021.

At its peak, 4,14,188 (4.14 lakh) new cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, there have been more than 4.50 crore people getting infected and over 5.30 lakh deaths in about four years since then across the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease stands at more than 4.40 crore with a national recovery rate of 98.81 per cent, according to the ministry's website.

The website said 220.67 crore vaccine doses have so far been administered in the country.