India reported 18,346 new covid-19 infections, which are the lowest in 209 days, taking the total cases to 3,38,53,048, while the active cases decreased to 2,52,902, according to the Union Health Ministry data. The death toll rose to 4,49,260. The daily increase in new coronavirus infections has stayed under 30,000 for 11 continuous days.

The active cases include 0.75 per cent of the total virus infections, while the national covid-19 recovery rate was registered at 97.93 per cent, the ministry added. India’s covid-19 tally had surpassed 50 lakh by September 2020 and crossed the one crore mark by December 19. India crossed the milestone of crores by June 2021.