Hyderabad: India's COVID-19 caseload went past 74 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 65 lakh pushing the recovery rate to 87.78 per cent, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.
The coronavirus death toll climbed to 1,12,998 with the virus claiming 837 lives in a day, while the infection tally mounted to 74,32,680 with 62,212 new cases being reported, the data updated at 8 am showed. The active cases of coronavirus infection dropped below eight lakh for the first time in one-and-half months, the ministry said.
For nine days in a row, the active cases remained below nine lakh. There are 7,95,087 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 10.70 per cent of the total caseload.
The 837 new fatalities include 306 from Maharashtra, 73 from Karnataka, 61 from West Bengal, 57 from Tamil Nadu, 46 from Uttar Pradesh and 40 from Chhattisgarh.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
New Delhi
Once again, the cases of COVID-19 are on the upwards in the national capital and Delhi now rank at the top among all cities in the India with the highest caseload. Till October 15, Delhi had recorded a total 3,21,031 cases of infection, overtaking Pune, where the number stood at 3,20,681. On the same day, Pune had recorded 1,301 new positives while it was 3,483 in Delhi.
According to Delhi government’s daily COVID bulletin released on Friday evening, the city had a total of 3,24,459 cases, which mean an additional 3,428 fresh cases in the 24-hour period whereas Pune city added 476 new cases to its total tally, according to Maharashtra government figures. Pune recorded its first case of coronavirus infection on March 9 while in Delhi it was first reported on March 2.
West Bengal
West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh tested positive for coronavirus on Friday, following which he was taken to a private hospital. Ghosh had mild fever and was admitted to the high dependency unit of the hospital. A senior doctor at the hospital reportedly said.
Assam
The Assam government on Saturday announced re-starting regular classes in schools and colleges, from standard six onward, on a voluntary basis, from November 2. Addressing the press in Guwahati, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said classes will be held according to a staggered timetable and on separate days. Students of classes 8, 10 and 11 will have classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, whereas students of 6, 7, 9 and 12 will have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Maharashtra
The Mumbai airport on Saturday started an express coronavirus infection test facility for departing and non-departing passengers. The RT-PCR test facility is functional from October 15, the airport said in a release. Initially launched for arriving international transit passengers in line with the Civil Aviation Ministry's directives, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has now further.
Karnataka
Karnataka reported 7,542 new cases of COVID-19 and 73 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 7,51,390 and the death toll to 10,356. The day also saw 8,580 patients getting discharged after recovery, the health department said. A total of over 64,61,694 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,05,891 were tested on Friday alone, and 27,961 among them were rapid antigen tests. Out of the fresh cases reported today, 3,441 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh recorded 5,529 recoveries and 3,676 new coronavirus positive cases, while 24 fatalities were reported in the 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday. The latest bulletin showed 7,76,251 total confirmed cases, 7,32,743 recoveries and 6,406 deaths so far. The active cases declined further to 37,102, it said.
More than 70,000 sample tests were conducted, according to the bulletin. East Godavari district added 567, West Godavari 531 and Chittoor 473 fresh cases. Vizianagaram and Kurnool districts reported only 91 new cases each.
Kerala
Kerala's COVID-19 cases soared to 9,016 on Saturday, taking the infection tally to 3,32,228 as the toll touched 1,139 with 26 more fatalities. In the last 24 hours,52,067 samples were tested and 7,991 returned negative, taking the recoveries so far to 2,36,989, Health minister K K Shailaja said in a press release.
The active case touched 96,004. Three districts accounted for over 1,000 cases, with Malappuram recording 1,519, Thrissur 1,109 and Ernakulam 1,022. While Kozhikode reported 926 cases, Thiruvananthapuram had 848. With the addition of 26 more fatalities, the toll climbed to 1,139.
READ: Durga Puja festivities kick start under strict guidelines
