The Home Ministry yesterday issued an order to extend the earlier Guidelines for Surveillance to remain in force upto 31st January 2021. While there has been a continuous decline in the active and new COVID-19 cases, there is need to maintain surveillance, containment and caution, keeping in view the surge in cases globally, and emergence of a new variant of the virus in the United Kingdom.

Accordingly, Containment Zones continue to be demarcated carefully; prescribed containment measures strictly followed within these zones; COVID-appropriate behaviour promoted and strictly enforced; and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) prescribed in respect of various permitted activities followed scrupulously.

Therefore, the focused approach on surveillance, containment and strict observance of the guidelines/ SOPs issued by MHA and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), as envisaged in the Guidelines issued on 25.11.2020; need to be enforced strictly by States and UTs.

Meanwhile, the country's COVID-19 recovery rate has reached to 95.83 per cent. During the last 24 hours, more than 21,000 COVID patients have recovered. Health Ministry said, the total number of recoveries has gone up to over 97,82,000.

The actual caseload currently comprises only 2.72 per cent of the total positive cases. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is around 2,77,000. During the past 24 hours, 20,021 new cases were reported taking the total number of positive cases in the country to over one crore two lakh.

The Ministry said, that effective implementation of the strategic and graded Test, Track and Treat approach has led to higher recoveries and lower fatality. Currently, India’s Case Fatality Rate is at 1.45 per cent, which is one of the lowest globally. During the last 24 hours, 279 deaths were reported taking the toll to 1,47,901.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research, more than 7,15,000 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours. The total number of samples tested so far has reached 16 crore 88 lakh.