India Records 46.148 New Cases Of COVID-19 Infection, Delta Variant Is A Concern

Illustrative of COVID-19. (Wikimedia Commons / Anna.psiaki)

JAKARTA - The Indian Ministry of Health reported 46.148 cases of COVID-19 infection, as well as 979 deaths in the last 24 hours as of Monday 28 June local time.

This addition brings India's total COVID-19 infection caseload to 30.27 million, with the total number of deaths reaching 396.730 since the pandemic began last year, cited from Reuters, Monday, June 28.

On Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Nerendra Modi urged his population to immediately get a COVID-19 vaccine, as cases of Delta variant infection spread in several states.

After a drop in infections from a daily peak in May of 400.000, India has redoubled its efforts to vaccinate the country's 940 million adults, amid tight supplies and fears of a third wave of the pandemic.

India must deliver 10 million doses a day to reach its goal of vaccinating all adults by December, experts say. Meanwhile, to date, less than 6 percent of India's population has received the COVID-19 vaccine

"Get vaccinated. It's a good safety shield. Think about it", said PM Modi, urging the public to observe social distancing and wear masks.

Interacting with some of the villagers in a virtual meeting, Modi called on community leaders to raise awareness among villagers about the benefits of vaccination and curb rumors of ill effects.

He said this month the government would buy 75 percent of the COVID-19 vaccine from all vaccine makers, distributing it free of charge to states, which along with private hospitals have purchased injections for people aged 18 to 45.

India reduced its estimated vaccine supply to 1.35 billion doses between August and December from an earlier estimate of nearly 2 billion doses, according to a written statement filed with the Supreme Court on Saturday.

However, the government told the court it was committed to its vaccination targets and was in talks with global suppliers such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna for additional supplies.

The Delta variant is of particular concern in India, where more than half the population does not yet have a single dose of vaccine. At least 20 cases have been found to be linked to the Delta variant, which India last week designated as a variant of concern, according to the health ministry.