India's COVID-19 tally rose to 28,441,986 on Thursday with 134,154 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours, said the federal health ministry. Besides, 2,887 deaths were reported since Wednesday morning, taking the death toll to 337,989. Read:7 die in gas cylinder blast in India There are still 1,713,413 active cases in the country, with a decrease of 80,232 in the past 24 hours. The number of daily active cases has been on the decline over the past few days, after a continuous surge since mid-April. A total of 26,390,584 people has been cured and discharged from hospitals across the country, showed the latest data from the federal health ministry. Read: India to start trials on safety, efficacy of mixing Covid vaccine doses India kicked off a nationwide vaccination drive in January, and so far over 221 million vaccination doses have been administered across the country, and 2,426,265 doses were given on Wednesday alone. Presently the third phase of vaccination is going on, covering all people aged 18 years and above. However, an acute shortage of vaccines is being seen across the country. Read: India's COVID-19 tally reaches 28,175,044 with 127,510 new cases Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up testing capacities, as 353,782,648 tests were conducted till Wednesday, out of which 2,159,873 tests were conducted on Wednesday alone, said the latest data issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research on Thursday. Three types of vaccines are being administered in India, including Covishield, Covaxin and Russia-made vaccine Sputnik-V.

India will soon start trials to test the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy after mixing doses of different brands of Covid-19 vaccines, reported The Tiimes of India on Tuesday. The trials will currently include Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik-V, which currently have emergency use authorisation in the country, going forward the trials may also include jabs that are in the pipeline, senior officials said. Some studies in the UK and Spain have shown mixing of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines to be safe and immunogenic. However, officials in India maintain that though the concept is scientifically feasible, it cannot be allowed without adequate evidence and therefore, a study has to be conducted. Also read: India's COVID-19 tally reaches 28,175,044 with 127,510 new cases The Indian Council of Medical Research, along with the Chennai-based National Institute of Epidemiology, has launched a nationwide study to determine vaccine effectiveness in preventing severe Covid-19 infection. The study will be carried out at 11 sites across 10 cities. A senior scientist with the  “It is scientifically possible and it is a good thing, especially in a country like ours, such a thing (mixing of doses) will really help boost the vaccination programme. But it is currently not allowed under the vaccination protocol and there is no question of allowing it to happen without adequate evidence generated through trials. Therefore, we have decided to have studies to test the same,” a senior official said. The decision has also been endorsed by the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI). The study — expected to start soon and likely to take about two months — will be conducted by the government in collaboration with vaccine manufacturers. Also readIndia fought first wave of Covid-19 courageously, will be victorious in second round: PM Modi:  Jabs for all by December, says govt as Supreme Court quizzes it on vaccine policy The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it expects the country's entire population above 18 years to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of the year, but the court remained sceptical of the claim citing impediments in the form of dual pricing and allocation of vaccines at different Jabs for all by December, says govt as Supreme Court quizzes it on vaccine policy Apart from testing the safety and feasibility of mixing doses of different vaccines, the study will also evaluate whether mixing of doses of different vaccines help boost immune response to the virus.