New Delhi (TIP): India logged 34,457 new coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 32,393,286, while the national recovery rate improved to 97.54%, the highest since March 2020, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday, August 21.

The death toll climbed to 4,33,964 with 375 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The active cases have declined to 3,61,340, the lowest in 151 days, and comprise 1.12 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, the ministry said.

A reduction of 1890 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,15,97,982 while the case fatality rate stands at 1.34 per cent, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23.

High Proportion of Delta Variant Found in India’s Breakthrough Infections

Breakthrough infections of coronavirus cases comprise a very high proportion of the Delta variant, the INSACOG, a genome sequencing government consortium of laboratories, has said.

The continuing COVID-19 outbreaks across India are attributable to the Delta variant, a susceptible population and reduced vaccine effectiveness in blocking transmission, the INSACOG added.

However, vaccination continues to be very effective in reducing severe disease and death, and public health measures to reduce transmission and inoculation remain critical, the INSACOG stressed in its latest bulletin dated August 16.

“As of now, sequencing of vaccination breakthroughs in India is also showing a very high proportion of Delta variant. Investigations for any new variants are ongoing,” the INSACOG said. Of the 30,230 samples of Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest sequenced by the INSACOG, 20,324 were of Delta, it said.