In second wave, India r double the number of 2020’s active Covid-19 cases: Govt

“There are 21,57,000 active cases in India currently i.e. twice the number of maximum active 19 Covid-19 cases last year,” Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a press conference.

A Covid-19 patient wait inside an ambulance outside Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital, as coronavirus cases spike in New Delhi, on Wednesday.(PTI)

India’s second wave of coronavirus is more virulent than the first wave as the country is witnessing twice the number of maximum active Covid-19 cases seen last year, officials said on Wednesday.

“There are 21,57,000 active cases in India currently i.e. twice the number of maximum active 19 Covid-19 cases last year,” Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in a press conference.

The government, Bhushan said, plans to increase supplies of medical oxygen in the coming days even as a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases soaks up supplies. The government was also evaluating applications from suppliers overseas for oxygen imports, Bhushan said, adding that state leaders in the country should plan its use.

On Wednesday, India witnessed a jump of 295,041 cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 2,023 deaths in the last 24 hours, both figures are the highest ever since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the latest data released by the Union ministry of health and family welfare.