India Reports Nearly 23,000 New Coronavirus Cases In 24 hours

NEW DELHI: A total of 22,771 fresh coronavirus cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking India's tally to 6,48,315 cases on Saturday. A total of 18,655 patients have died since the start of the pandemic. According to the latest reports from the Union Health Ministry, "The recovery rate has been increased to 60.80 per cent and the total number of recoveries stands at  3,94,227." Currently, there are 2,35,433 active cases of coronavirus in the country. 442 COVID-19 patients succumbed to the virus in the last 24 hours - 198 are from Maharashtra, 64 from Tamil Nadu, 59 from Delhi, 21 from Karnataka, 18 each from Gujarat and West Bengal, 14 from Uttar Pradesh, 10 from Rajasthan, eight each from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, five from Punjab, four each from Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, three from Bihar, two each from Assam and Odisha.

Maharashtra one of the worst-hit state reported more than 1,92,990 infections. A total of 8,376 have died due to coronavirus till date. Assam reported 1,202 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, its highest single-day spike in the number of infections so far. Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the there are 11,000 coronavirus cases in the state. On Saturday, 2,505 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Delhi, taking the tally in the city to more than 97,000. 55 fatalities were recorded on Saturday and the death count increased to 3,004.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the recovery rate in the city had crossed 70 per cent, while his deputy, Manish Sisodia, tweeted that the positivity rate has "dipped to 10.58 per cent from 36.94 per cent earlier". The Delhi government has directed district magistrates to launch the COVID-19 survey outside containment zones, focusing on vulnerable sections in areas with sporadic cases, sources said on Saturday. According to the health bulletin, 68,256 patients have been recovered while there are 25,940 active coronavirus cases. As many as 6,20,368 tests have been conducted so far. According to the latest update, WHO is discontinuing its trials of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and a combination HIV drug in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.