The Union health ministry data showed on Thursday morning that India recorded 276,110 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in a 24-hour span. The total tally of the coronaviral infection now stands at 25,772,440. After the number of cases hovered above 300,000 in the deadly second wave of the infection, Thursday’s numbers show that India continues to maintain a downward trend in daily Covid-19 cases.

In a positive development, the number of single-day fatalities dipped with 3,874 people succumbing to the disease. This comes days after the country has been witnessing a surge in daily fatalities, with number of cases exceeding 400000 mark. In a highest single-day spike so far, on Wednesday, 4,529 people died of Covid-19.

Health officials are still concerned about a spike in related fatalities, while the daily number of Covid-19 cases is falling steadily. A public health expert Dr VK Monga said that the trend may continue to rise for another week at least, before it begins to settle down in proportion to the number of daily cases.

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Dr Monga attributed prolonged hospitalization and Covid-19 complications as the reason behind the surge in deaths.  He said, “A large number of patients are still admitted in ICU in various hospitals, and because of the complications of Covid-19 and prolonged stay in hospitals, they may lose the battle, thus resulting in increased figures of death.”

Earlier, the Union health ministry had listed 10 states that are contributing the most, as much as 74.46 percent, to India’s daily tally. These states are Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana, according to the ministry.

On the vaccination front, the cumulative number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has reached 18.58 crore. As per the provisional report by the health ministry on Wednesday, a total of 18,58,09,302 vaccine doses have been administered through 27,10,934 sessions.

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Meanwhile, the Centre approved the first home test for Covid-19 on Wednesday, allowing people to buy a kit that costs ₹250 and gives results within 15 minutes. This kit is a rapid antigen test (RAT). It has been manufactured by Pune-based Mylab Discovery Solutions Ltd. According to the guidelines by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the kit should be used only by those who have Covid-19 symptoms or had close contact with an infected person