India's daily Covid tally falls below 90,000-mark with 84,332 new cases

India's caseload of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) climbed to 29,359,155 on Saturday after 84,332 new infections were logged in the last 24 hours, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare. This is the first time in more than two months that the daily cases went below the 90,000-mark. On Friday, 91,702 Covid-19 cases were recorded across the country.

As many as 4,002 people succumbed to the viral disease and 121,311 recovered on Saturday, taking the death toll and recoveries to 367,081 and 27,911,384 respectively. The active cases have come down to 1,080,690 and constitute 3.83 per cent of the caseload.

As the overall Covid-19 graph in India has been on the decline since last month, indicating the country might be able to gain control over the ongoing second wave of the pandemic, the health ministry on Friday urged citizens to continue following Covid-appropriate behaviour.

"We have to incorporate Covid-appropriate behaviour in our lives. Even though the cases are coming down, we have to ensure that the infection does not spread," the health ministry's joint secretary Lav Agarwal said while addressing a routine Covid-19 briefing on Friday.

He added there has been a decline of almost 78 per cent in daily infections and a 74 per cent decrease in weekly positivity rate.

NITI Aayog member (health) VK Paul said during Friday's briefing that ICMR will begin its fourth round of the national serosurvey this month to assess the spread of the viral disease in the country. He said one cannot depend on one national survey and urged states and Union territories to conduct it at their levels too.

Seventy districts in 21 states will be covered under the serosurvey this month. The survey will also comprise children aged six years and above, ICMR director general Dr Balram Bhargava said in a letter to these states on June 4 which include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh among others.