IN NUMBERS: Over 18,500 fresh cases reported India reported 18,599 fresh coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the cumulative caseload to 11,229,398, according to a report in the Scroll. The country saw 97 deaths due to the pandemic, taking the death toll to 157,853, according to central health ministry data. The active caseload is at 188,747, while the total recoveries have surged to 10,882,798. As many as 20,989,101 people have been inoculated since the nationwide inoculation programme kicked off on January 16. Of these, 66,666 people received their shots on Sunday. Read more here A continued rise in cases further intensify fears of a second wave The recent rise in Covid-19 infections which had appeared to be confined to Maharashtra and Punjab has spread to many other states sparking strong concerns of a second nationwide wave, a report in The Indian Express said. The states of Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh showed a steady dip in cases until the first week of February, but are on an upswing ever since. The trend echoes the national trajectory which has also begun to rise after reaching its lowest levels in the second and third weeks of February when daily cases dipped below 10,000. In contrast to that, daily cases have been averaging at around 18,000 in the last few days. Read more here