Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has decided in consultation with the office of the President of India to reschedule the Polio vaccination day, also known as the National Immunisation Day (NID) or “Polio R31 Star” to 31st January.

The step has been taken as India is going to witness the COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16. The President will launch the Polio National Immunisation Day on 30th January 2021 (Saturday) by administering Polio drops to some children at the Rashtrapati Bhawan at 11.45 am.

The decision is in keeping with the stated policy of the Health Ministry to ensure that COVID management and vaccination, as well as non-COVID essential health services, proceed in tandem without adversely impacting each other.

Meanwhile, India reports 16,946 fresh cases of coronavirus which pushed the total tally to 1,05,12,093 in the nation. The active cases now stand at 2,13,603. With 17,652 new recoveries, as far as 1,01,46,763 patients recovered, and with 198 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the death toll has risen to 1,51,727, as per Union Health Ministry.

As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the total number of samples tested up to 15 January is 18,42,32, 305 including 7,43,191 samples tested yesterday.

As per Union Health and Welfare Ministry, the infection (Active) rate is 2.03 percent, the recovery rate has reached 96.52 percent and the death rate is 1.44 percent.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has said that the total number of persons found infected with the mutant United Kingdom (UK) strain of COVID-19 is 109.