India is nearing 12 lakh Covid-19 cases, two days after it recorded over 11 lakh cases. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that up to 11,92,915 cases have been recorded since the start of the pandemic in February.

While 7,53,050 (63 per cent) persons got cured, another 28,732 persons have died.

India received the first tranche of 4,475 oxygen concentrators from Temasek Foundation, Singapore. The Foundation has offered to donate total of 20,000 oxygen concentrators to India. The remaining units will be received next month. The Indian Red Cross Society and Tata Trusts have coordinated the import of oxygen concentrators.

Ashwini Kumar Chaubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), said: “The oxygen concentrators are helpful for moderate cases of Covid-19 patients, who may require low oxygen support. They convert atmospheric air to therapeutic oxygen that has a concentration of 90 to 95 per cent.”

As the machine obviates the need for transportation and refilling of heavy oxygen cylinders, they can be placed in the wards where such patients are provided care, he said. These machines can be used at Covid Care Centres and the railway coaches that have been repurposed as Covid Care centres. He added that they are especially useful in remote areas, where logistical constraints may hinder the continuous supply of oxygen cylinders.

‘No community transmission’

Up to 37,724 new cases were detected in the past 24 hours. Currently, there are up to 4,11,133 active infections. Despite over four lakh active infections, the MoHFW has maintained that there is no community transmission in the country. Rajesh Bhushan, officer on special duty, MoHFW, said: “The World Health Organisation leaves it up to the member states to declare whether it is community transmission or not. India has not yet declared this stage.”

The number of tests conducted on July 22 was over 3.43 lakh. Cumulative tests have crossed 1.47 crore.

On testing, VK Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, said: "We have already started testing over three lakh samples a day. We will bolster our capacities to now test five lakh samples a day, and later take this up to 10 lakh samples in a day."

The recovery rate has not improved for a week, as the number of new cases is rising steadily every day.

Even as the national average rate of recovery has been 63 per cent over the past week, places like Delhi and Ladakh have posted over 80 per cent recovery rates. Telangana, Haryana and Andaman Nicobar Islands have seen over 75 per cent patients recover, whereas Odisha, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Rajasthan have over 70 per cent recovery rates, a press release by the MoHFW said.