Monitor News Desk
New Delhi: India recorded over 63,489 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking its tally to 25.89 lakh cases, the Union Health Ministry said Sunday morning.
Given the daily increase of nearly 1,000 deaths, India is edging towards the grim 50,000-mark in the total number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus so far. On Sunday, the country recorded 944 deaths taking the tally to 49,980 deaths and over 18 lakh recoveries.
India is the third worst-affected by the pandemic after the United States and Brazil, and has been reporting a higher daily surge in caseload for the past 12 days, according to the World Health Organization data.
India has been on top of the list of the countries that are reporting the highest number of daily surge in coronavirus cases since August 4. While the United States – the pandemic of the epicentre – has logged over 53 lakh cases so far, Brazil has recorded about 33 lakh cases, about 7 lakh more than India.
About 18.62 lakh people have recovered so far; the recovery rate stood at 71.91 per cent this morning, as compared to Saturday’s 71.6 per cent.
The positivity rate, which gives an indication of the prevalence of the disease, stood at 8.50 per cent this morning, as compared to yesterday’s 7.48 per cent.
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the five states that recorded the highest number of cases in the last 24 hours, the government data shows. These five states also reported the highest number of Covid-linked deaths since yesterday.
Mizoram is currently the only state in India with less than 1,000 cases of the novel coronavirus apart from Lakshadweep, which continues to be Coronavirus-free, with no cases having been detected on the islands so far.
With 5.84 lakh cases, Maharashtra is the worst-hit in the country by the pandemic, followed by Tamil Nadu (3.32 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (2.81 lakh), Karnataka (2.19 lakh).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, during his address to the nation on 74th Independence Day, said that three coronavirus vaccines are at different stages of testing in India and the government has a plan to ensure that a vaccine, when approved, reaches every Indian.
Scientists are working hard on coronavirus vaccine and if their efforts bear fruit, COVID-19 warriors will be the first ones to get the dose, Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey said on Saturday.
Bihar on Saturday became the eight state to log over 1 lakh Covid infections.
Russia has started manufacturing its new vaccine for COVID-19, news agency AFP reported on Saturday, citing a report, adding that the vaccine will be rolled out by the end of this month. Russia is the first country to announce a vaccine for the highly infectious disease.
Across the world, over 2.14 crore people have been affected by the pandemic; over 7.7 lakh have died.
