India records 1,61,736 new infections, 879 deaths in 24 hours

Mangalore Today News Network / NDTV

New Delhi, April 13, 2021:      India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 1,36,89,453 with 1,61,736 new infections, while the recoveries have surged to 1,22,53,697, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

 

The death count increased to 1,71,058 with 879 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Covid vaccine Sputnik V has been cleared for emergency use by India’s drug regulator - the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). As India sees an unprecedented record surge in cases, Sputnik V becomes the third coronavirus vaccine to be cleared by the drug regulator.

Two vaccines - the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin - were cleared in January.

In a statement, the Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF (Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) said that India has become the 60th country to approve the two-dose vaccine.