The third wave of coronavirus in India has not resulted in an increase in severe illnesses and deaths, the Director-General of ICMR said today. Dr. Balram Bhargava attributed the good news to high vaccination uptake.

At the same time, he said, Covid-19 patients with comorbidities should monitor their health and avoid complications.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health today said that more than 159.67 crore doses of the coronavirus vaccines have been administered in the country so far. Population aged 18 years and above have received the lion's share. About 94% of the adult population has received the first dose. In absolute terms, it is 88.07 crore. About 72% of the adult population has received the second dose. In absolute terms, it is 67.13 crore.

So far, a booster shot has been received by 61.75 lakh people. As for the numbers pertaining to the population aged 15-18 years, as many as 3.84 crore have received the first dose. This is 52% of the population.