MAHA COVID SURGE TAKES INDIA’S TALLY TO 25K FOR FIRST TIME IN 2021

India recorded 25,320 Covid-19 infections, the highest daily rise in 84 days, taking the case tally to 1,13,59,048, according to data by the Union Health Ministry. Of the new cases, Maharashtra accounted for over 16,000 cases.

The death toll also increased to 1,58,607 on Sunday with 161 new fatalities, the highest in 44 days, the data updated at 8 am showed. The country’s active caseload increased to 2,10,544 and constitutes 1.85 percent of the total infections. The recovery rate dropped to 96.75 per cent from 96.82 per cent as compared to Saturday. 

Maharashtra recorded this year’s highest one-day spike with 16,620 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, which pushed its overall caseload to 23,14,413, while 50 deaths pushed the toll to 52,861, said the health department. In the last two days, the daily case count of the state had been above 15,000, which crossed the 16,000-mark on Sunday. Out of the total cases in Maharashtra, 1,962 cases came from Mumbai alone. The city also saw 7 individuals dying from the pandemic. 

In South Bengaluru, more than 100 cases were reported from a single apartment complex in mid-February, following which clusters emerged from various parts of the city. The state has also reported around 30 cases with the UK strain of the virus and at least three cases with the South African strain so far.

Delhi recorded 407 cases on Sunday with 350 recoveries and 2 deaths. This took the active cases in the national capital to 2,262 and the death toll to 10,941.

Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded 105 new Covid cases, taking the tally to 1,27,640. No deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, officials said. Out of the fresh cases, 25 were from the Jammu Division and 80 from the Kashmir Division of the union territory, they added. The officials said that the Srinagar district recorded the highest cases with 51, followed by 16 in the Jammu district. While five districts did not report any fresh cases, 12 other districts had cases in single digits.

Kerala logged 1,792 fresh Covid-19 cases, including 9 health workers, and 15 related deaths on Sunday, taking the caseload to 10.91 lakh and the toll to 4,396. As many as 3,238 people were also cured of the disease, taking the total number of recoveries to 10,57,097, state health minister K K Shailaja said.

Goa’s coronavirus caseload went up by 66 and reached 55,917 on Sunday, while one person died and 83 recovered during the day, an official said. The state’s toll now stands at 806 and the recovery count is 54,362. The state has an active caseload of 749, he added.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday set a target of «zero infection» even as the Covid-19 tally in the state mounted to 3,38,192 with 71 fresh cases. In a video message, Patnaik appealed to people to follow health safety protocols so that the state can achieve the goal, and requested them not to be complacent with the daily number of new coronavirus cases which is currently below the 100-mark.

India is the third-most affected country globally with 11.36 million Covid-19 cases, behind the United States and Brazil.