Coronavirus: India reports 16,326 COVID-19 cases as active caseload drops to lowest in 233 days

India reported 16,326 new Covid-19 cases and 666 deaths on Saturday, according to the Union Health Ministry's data.

India logged 16,326 new Covid-19 cases and 666 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to 3,41,59,562 and death toll to 4,53,708, according to the Union Health Ministry's data updated on Saturday.

The active cases now stand at 1,73,728, lowest in 233 days, the ministry said. The active cases constitute 0.51% of the total Covid-19 cases, lowest since March 2020.

A total of 17,677 people were discharged in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries in the country to 3,35,32,126. The recovery rate stands at 98.16%, which is the highest since March 2020.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data, 13,64,681 samples were tested on Friday. So far, 59,84,31,162 samples have been tested up to October 22 for Covid-19.

So far, 101.30 crore vaccine doses have been administered across the country under the nationwide vaccination drive.