According to data from the health ministry, first dose coverage is still below 50% in 48 districts.(Picture: Reuters)

Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today’s News, November 3 Live Updates: India has administered more than 107.29 crore Covid-19 vaccines doses so far. However, the uneven pace of vaccination remains a concern. According to data from the Union Health Ministry, nearly 71% of the eligible population has received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while 35% are fully vaccinated. As many as 48 districts have been identified as lagging behind, where first-dose coverage is still below 50%. According to data, 27 of the 48 districts are from the Northeast, including eight districts each in Manipur and Nagaland. Jharkhand has the most districts (9) with below 50% first-dose vaccination coverage.

The Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a detailed review meeting with district Magistrates of over 40 districts in Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, & other States with districts having low vaccination coverage.” CMs of these states will also be present in the meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12 noon, the PMO said. India has set the target to inoculate all its eligible population with the Covid-19 vaccine by year-end.

Meanwhile, India reported 11,903 fresh coronavirus infections in the last 24hours, taking its overall Covid-19 tally to 3,43,08,140, while the number of active cases declined to 1,51,209, the lowest in 252 days, according to the data from Union Health Ministry on Wednesday. With 311 new fatalities, the Covid-19 death toll increased to 4,59,191, Health Ministry’s data updated at 8 am showed. The daily rise in new Covid-19 cases has been below 20,000 for the past 26 days and less than 50,000 for 129 consecutive days now. The number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has declined to 1,51,209, and now accounts for 0.44% of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has improved to 98.22%, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

The Covid-19 situation is under control in India. However, the fight against Coronavirus is not over yet. Several countries have started witnessing a resurgence of Coronavirus infections in the past few days. Counties like the US, UK, Russia, China, Singapore, Ukraine, and some in Eastern Europe reported a sudden spike in new cases. According to data from the World Health Organization, the UK reported a 14% rise in fresh infections at 283,756 cases, followed by Russia’s 217,322. The UK witnessed over 50,000 cases for the first time since July 17; experts attributed the surge to the Delta variant.

Here are the latest updates on Coronavirus from India and around the globe: