New Delhi:
India reported its highest-ever single-day spike of COVID-19 cases with over 2.61 lakh new cases and more than 1,500 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry on Sunday.
In the last 24 hours, 1,501 COVID-related deaths were reported in the country taking the death toll to 1,77,150. As many as 2,61,500 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in India in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of cases has gone up to 1,47,88,109.
The active number of cases in the country stands at 18,01,316. In the last 24 hours, 1,38,423 people recovered from the disease. With this, the total recoveries reached 1,28,09,643.
The daily coronavirus positivity rate in India in the last 12 days has doubled to 16.69 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has increased to 13.54 per cent in the past one month, the Health Ministry said.
Ten states — Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan — reported 78.56 per cent of the new infections, it said.
"The daily positivity rate in the last 12 days has doubled from 8% to 16.69%," the ministry said in a statement. "The national weekly positivity rate has increased from 3.05% to 13.54% in the last one month."
Chhattisgarh reported the highest weekly positivity rate at 30.38 per cent, followed by Goa at 24.24 per cent, Maharashtra at 24.17 per cent, Rajasthan at 23.33 per cent and Madhya Pradesh at 18.99 per cent, according to the ministry.
The active cases in the country mounted to18,01,316, comprising 12.18 per cent of the total infections and a net increase of infections in a span of 24 hours.
Five states — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala — account for65.02 per cent of India's the active cases.
The cumulative recoveries have surged to1,28,09,643 after 1,38,423more people recuperated.
Out of the 1,501deaths, 10 states account for82.94 per cent of the new deaths. Maharashtra saw the maximum fatalities at 419, followed by Delhi with 167 deaths.
Nine states and Union territories have not reported any COVID-19 deaths. These are Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim, Mizoram, Manipur, Lakshadweep, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, 15,66,394 samples were tested on Saturday. And, as many as 26,65,38,416 samples have been tested across the country till April 17. Meanwhile, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 12,26,22,590 till today.
The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus in the country on April 12. Now, India has three vaccines Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V for its inoculation programme against COVID-19.
From April 2, the government started vaccinating all people above 45 years. India started its vaccination drive on January 16 with priority given to all healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. The second phase started on March 1 where doses were administered to people above the age of 60 and those between 45 and 59 years with specific comorbidities.