India struggles with spike as Covid-19 cases soar to 5.2 million
The country has witnessed a single-day spike of 96,424 new infections and 1,174 coronavirus related deaths as announced by the Ministry of Health.
India has reported 96,424 new Covid-19 cases on Friday raising the country's caseload to 5.2 million as per the data released by the Ministry of Health. The ministry also revealed that 1,174 people have succumbed to the virus in the past 24 hours to raise the death toll in the country to 84,372.
According to the Indian ministry, the country now has nearly 10.17 million active cases out of the total 52,14,678 who have contracted the infection, whereas 41,12,552 have recovered, been discharged from an isolation center, or migrated, as the country has achieved a recovery rate of 78%.
India has been reporting the highest number of daily infections since August and is expected to surpass the US soon as the worst-hit country of the pandemic, having already surpassed Brazil earlier as second on the list. The fatality rate, however, has been declining as it currently stands at 1.62% as declared by authorities.
Maharashtra is the worst-hit state
Around 60% of the currently active cases in India are present in five states: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, with the worst-hit state Maharashtra, accounting for 474 fatalities out of 1,174 reported over the past 24 hours.
On his birthday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed people calling on them to adhere to safety measures, like wearing face masks and maintaining social distances, as the country is preparing for the upcoming major Hindu festival season beginning next month where huge gatherings and congestion are expected to exist.