In charts | India COVID-19 case count, state-wise trends, vaccination data, and other key details

India reported 2.81 lakh COVID-19 new cases, according to the May 17 update. Active infections decreased by 1,01,461 cases to 35.16 lakh mark; over 18.29 crore vaccinations administered till date.

Chaitanya Mallapur

May 17, 2021 / 14:00 IST

Patients being treated at the state-run JUMBO COVID-19 medical facility in BKC, Mumbai (Image: AP)

India’s COVID-19 case tally is now above 2.49 crore with 2,81,386 new cases reported, as per the health ministry’s May 17 update. New cases were below three lakh after 26 days and less than four lakh cases for the eighth consecutive day, indicating a receding trend.

May 17 Daily New Cases and Moving Avg

India reported 4,106 new deaths and 3,78,741 new recoveries in the last 24 hours, the latest release showed. More than 18.29 crore vaccinations have been administered across India, according to the May 17 update, with 6,91,211 new vaccinations.

May 17_BarLine_Daily New Vaccination Vs Daily New Cases

Of the total vaccinations administered to date, 77 percent are recipients of their first dose while 23 percent have received the second dose. Among states, Maharashtra has administered the most 1.97 crore vaccine doses, followed by Rajasthan (1.51 crore) and Gujarat (1.49 crore).

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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