Covid crisis: India’s new cases remain below 1 lakh for second day, positivity rate at 4.67%

India recorded 92,596 new cases of coronavirus infections and 2,219 deaths in the last 24 hours. With over 18,000 fresh cases, Tamil Nadu was once again the highest contributor to the country’s daily caseload. Kerala had over 15,000 cases while Maharashtra reported slightly less than 11,000. The overall caseload rose to 2.9 crore, while active cases dropped to 12.31 lakh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to provide free vaccines to states for all citizens over 18 years from June 21 is likely to cost the exchequer an additional Rs 15,000 crore compared with the Budget allocation of Rs 35,000 crore.

“It is too early to give a correct estimate with multiple suppliers and different prices. But the rough estimate is total expenditure for vaccines for this year may be Rs 45,000-50,000 crore. In the Budget, we had provided Rs 35,000 crore, and of this, the government has paid out about Rs 5,000 crore,” a senior government official who did not wish to be named told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, a day after the Prime Minister announced that the Centre will directly procure 75 per cent of the total doses to vaccinate every adult in the country free of cost, the Ministry of Health placed an advance order Tuesday to secure 44 crore doses from the two vaccine manufacturers in the country.