India has reported 21,821 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the country to 1,02,66,674, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

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As many as 26,139 recoveries and 299 deaths have been recorded in the last 24 hours as well, as per the data shared by the Union Health Ministry.

The tally of active cases stands at 2,57,656 while the total recoveries in India have reached 98,60,280. A total of 1,48,738 people have succumbed to coronavirus in the country, according to the MoHFW.

Kerala has reported 65,572 active COVID-19 cases while Maharashtra has reported 54,206 active cases. The national capital of Delhi has reported 5,838 active cases, 6,08,434 recoveries and 10,523 fatalities. 

In a major development, terming the approval for Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for use in the UK as a "big step forward", All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Wednesday (December 30) said that India will have the COVID-19 vaccine within days.

Meanwhile, a total of 17,20,49,274 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to December 30. Of these, 11,27,244 samples were tested yesterday, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

There have been concerns recently about the spread of a new mutant of COVID-19 that was first discovered in the United Kingdom. This highly infectious variant of the virus has been found in nearly 25 people in the country thus far.

The vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 have already begun in various countries across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.