62,258 new COVID cases: India sees highest single-day spike in 5 months

A whopping 62,258 fresh cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours marked yet another record single-day jump for India since October 16. During the period, 291 deaths were also recorded. This takes the total tally to over 1.19 crore cases and 1,61,240 deaths in India.

The steady surge continued for the 17th day in a row in the country, with the active cases increasing to 4,52,647 comprising 3.80 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate has further dropped to 94.85 per cent, according to the health ministry data.

As many as 63,371 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on October 16 last year.

On Saturday, the number of people who have recuperated surged to 1,12,95,023, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.35 per cent, the data stated.

The worrying rise has prompted strict restrictions in Maharashtra, which is currently one of the worst-affected states in the country. The state, home to financial capital Mumbai, is set to impose a night curfew from Sunday. Mumbai reported its sharpest single day rise of over 5,500 cases on Friday.

The health ministry had a day earlier that three states — Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab — together account for 73.64 per cent of the total active cases in the country.

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In terms of total of total cases, Maharashtra is followed by the four southern states, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the government is continuing its vaccination drive and it will start immunising everyone above 45 from April 1. Earlier, it was vaccinating only those who were above 60, besides those above 45 with comorbidities. It has already inoculated 5.81 crore people.

Besides vaccinating its own citizens, India has been actively exporting homemade jabs to other countries. But it view of the rising cases, it has halted its export spree to focus on the domestic population first.