India records highest ever COVID single day spike of 3.14 lakh; caseload goes up to 1.59 cr

NEW DELHI: India reported 3,14,835 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 1,59,30,965, according to data released by the Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Thursday morning.

After the pandemic started last year, this is the biggest single-day increase the nation has ever seen.

India also recorded 2,104 more deaths as a result of the virus, with Maharashtra reporting the most deaths (568), followed by Delhi with 249. Across the country, 1,84,657 Covid patients have died as a result of the infection.

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The country's active caseload has increased to 22,91,428, while total recoveries have increased to 1,34,54,880, according to Dr. Harsh Vardhan.

Since February, the number of cases in India has increased dramatically, with the daily Covid-19 caseload in the country having tripled in the last 17 days. On April 15, India passed the 2-lakh mark in daily cases, and now it has registered over 3 lakh cases in a single day on April 22.

Maharashtra with 67,468 cases is the state with the most, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,3106 cases, Delhi with 2,4638 cases, Karnataka with 23,558 cases, and Kerala with 22,414 cases. These five states account for 54.38 percent of new cases, with Maharashtra alone accounting for 21.43 percent of new cases.

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According to a state health department official, Maharashtra confirmed 67,468 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to over 40 lakh, with 568 more patients succumbing to the infection.

The 67,468 infections, the second-highest single-day count so far, increased Maharashtra's Covid-19 caseload to 40,27,827, Dr. Vardhan said.

Meanwhile, the capital recorded 24,638 new Covid-19 cases and 249 deaths on Wednesday, with a positivity rate of 31.28 percent, meaning nearly every third sample tested positive, amid an increasing demand for oxygen and hospital beds in the city.

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