India reported 1,15,736 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, surpassing its previous record, according to the Union Health Ministry. Maharashtra also broke its record for the highest single-day spike, reporting 59,907 new cases in the last 24 hours.
With this spike, the total number of infections in the country has reached 1,28,01,785 and in Maharashtra, the number now stands at 31,73,261.
The state also reported 322 new deaths, taking the state’s death toll to 56,652. The case fatality rate in the state is now 1.79 percent. Nationwide, 630 Covid-related deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative toll up to 1,66,177.
Notably, Mumbai recorded 10,442 new cases and 24 deaths during the day, taking the capital’s overall caseload to 4,83,042 and the fatalities to 11,856.
Elsewhere in the state, the Pune division reported 12,772 fresh infections, including 5,637 cases in Pune city, followed by the Nagpur division which added 8,846 cases, including 3,738 in Nagpur city. The Nashik division reported 8,181 cases, including 2,296 in Nashik city, and the Aurangabad division and Latur division added 3,398 and 3,305 new cases, respectively.
The country is now left with 8,43,473 active cases, out of which 5,01,559 are in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra on Wednesday also conducted a record number of 2,31,250 tests, taking the number of samples tested so far to 2,11,48,736. The state’s recovery rate is 82.36 percent.
Maharashtra is followed by the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in terms of the total caseload.
Delhi recorded 5,100 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, which is its biggest single-day Covid figure this year. The sharp rise in cases comes as over a lakh tests were conducted in the national capital in a day for the first time. The government on Tuesday imposed a 10 pm to 5 am night curfew till April 30.
However, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the state has only 14 lakh doses of the Covid vaccine and may run out of it in three days. The minister has urged the Centre to give priority to Maharashtra since the state has more Covid cases and a higher death toll.
Responding to Tope’s claims, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan slammed the Maharashtra government’s claims of a vaccine shortage and blamed the “lackadaisical” attitude of the state government which has “singularly bogged down” the entire country’s efforts to fight the virus. India started its vaccination drive on 16 January this year. So far, as many as 8,70,77,474 people have received the vaccine against Covid-19.