New Delhi | India saw a single-day rise of 163 COVID-19 cases while the number of active cases of the infection was recorded at 874, the health ministry said on Friday.

Two new deaths due to the viral disease -- one each from Karnataka and Maharashtra -- were reported in a span of 24 hours, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.

The number of daily cases was in double digits till December 5 last year, but it began to rise after the emergence of a new variant of the virus and cold weather conditions.

After December 5, the highest number of 841 fresh cases was reported on December 31, which was 0.2 per cent of the peak cases reported in May 2021, official sources said.

India has witnessed three Covid waves in the past, with the peak incidence of daily new cases and deaths being reported during the Delta wave in April-June 2021.

At its peak, 4,14,188 new coronavirus cases and 3,915 deaths were reported on May 7, 2021.

Since the pandemic broke out in early 2020, more than 4.5 crore people have been infected and over 5.3 lakh deaths due to the disease reported in the country.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease is more than 4.4 crore, according to the health ministry's website.

The website said 220.67 crore doses of Covid vaccines have so far been administered in the country.