COVID-19 update: India registers 34,973 new cases, 19% lower than yesterday's count

India reported 34,973 new COVID-19 cases, 19% lower than yesterday's count and 260 deaths in the past 24 hours. Once again Kerala remained the highest contributor with 26,200 new COVID-19 cases, followed by Maharashtra, where 4,219 cases were registered since yesterday. Mumbai reported 457 new cases in the last 24 hours. 

The daily test positivity rate in the state dipped to 16.69% after having crossed 19% on at least one day last week. Active caseload decreased by 2,968 and now stands at 3,90,646. With the addition of 243 new COVID-19 cases, the infection count in the Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 5,53,609, an official said on Thursday. 

Marginal increases in infections were registered in Tamil Nadu (1,596 new cases, highest since August 23), Bengal (751 on Wednesday, highest since August 20), and J&K (170 cases, highest since August 12). 

No death due to COVID-19 was recorded in Delhi on Thursday, while 35 fresh cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.05%, according to data shared by the city health department. Only one fatality due to COVID-19 was reported this month, on September 7, according to official figures.

The four-month data of the national vaccination drive, released by the health ministry on Thursday, showed that the COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness in preventing mortality after the first dose stood at 96.6% while after the second dose it stood at 97.5%, reiterating the fact that vaccination is the biggest weapon in the fight against the coronavirus.