Coronavirus LIVE Updates: India Reported 8,318 New Cases, 465 Deaths On Saturday

Coronavirus live updates: 10,967 recoveries were also reported during the previous 24 hours, which took the total recovery count to 3,39,88,797.

India reported 8,318 new COVID-19 cases and 465 related fatalities on Saturday, pushing the overall cases tally to 3,45,63,749 and the death count to 4,67,933. Besides, 10,967 recoveries were also reported during the previous 24 hours, which took the total recovery count to 3,39,88,797. The recovery rate now stands at 98.34 per cent, the highest since March 2020.

At little over a lakh, active cases in the country stand at 1,07,019. Over 121.98 crore vaccine doses have been administered across the country, according to the Co-WIN dashboard at 5:40 am.

Meanwhile, reports of a new Covid variant, named 'Omicron' by the WHO and declared as a variant of concern, which was first detected in South Africa, has triggered concerns across the world, with several countries imposing travel bans on multiple southern African nations. 

The new strain has already been detected in several European countries, including UK, Germany, Italy, and Czech Republic. The variant is said to be much more infectious than the Delta variant and the "most heavily mutated" version of coronavirus discovered so far.