The active COVID-19 cases in India breached the 11 lakh-mark for the first time after a record high of 1.52 lakh new infections while a massive vaccination push, dubbed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the beginning of another major war against coronavirus, was launched on Sunday in a bid to abate the surge

The active caseload till now was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12 and at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020

Amid an unprecedented burden on health infrastructure in 15 states and Delhi, which are witnessing an upward trajectory, authorities have started reserving more COVID hospitals and taking steps to address any shortage of medical supplies, besides enhancing curbs on the movement of people

The Centre announced a ban on export of Remdesivir, used in coronavirus treatment and its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, and asked all domestic manufacturers to display on their website details of their stockists and distributors

There were some reports of shortage of drugs from a few states

India’s COVID-19 tally of cases climbed to 1,33,58,805, and the death toll increased to 1,69,275 with 839 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 18, 2020, the data updated by Health Ministry on Sunday morning showed

While the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 10 crore after 85 days, the ‘Tika Utsav’ or a special ‘vaccination festival’ was started till April 14

“Anyone eligible for the vaccine should get the jab, and for this the society and administration have to make full efforts,” Prime Minister Modi said pitching for “zero vaccine waste” and urging the people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour

“This festival is, in a way, the beginning of another major war against corona. We have to lay special emphasis on personal hygiene as well as social hygiene,” he said

Five states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala — cumulatively account for 70.82 percent of India’s active COVID-19 cases, while Maharashtra alone accounts for 48.57 percent, the Union Health Ministry said

Besides these states, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal are displaying an upward graph in daily new cases

Most of these states have reimposed restrictions, including the closure of schools, night curfew, weekend and local shutdowns, while ruling out a total lockdown, but as the latest wave of patients continues to flood hospitals, there are some signs of a rethink

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal have said that a lockdown will be the only option if the infections don’t abate and the health system shows signs of collapsing

Kejriwal on Sunday said the COVID-19 situation in the national capital is “very serious”

The city recorded 10,774 fresh COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day spike so far, with 48 more fatalities

“The fourth wave is more dangerous than the previous wave,? he told a press conference, and urged the people not to step out unless there is urgent work

The chief minister said that his government does not want to impose lockdown in Delhi but such a situation may arise if there is a rush to the hospitals and beds are unavailable for serious patients

“We need your cooperation. If your cooperation is received and the situation of hospitals is under control, there will be no need to impose lockdown in Delhi. But, if beds in the hospitals fell short and are unavailable, then lockdown may have to be imposed,” he said

Speaking at an all-party meeting held virtually to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the state on Saturday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had indicated the imposition of a strict lockdown in the state given the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases