COVID-19: Karnataka, Kerala, WB witness biggest single-day spike

Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Gujarat witnessed the biggest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (July 08) as the country’s tally increased to 7,62,823 with 19,330 fresh infections. India’s death toll also rose to 21,072 as 419 new fatalities were reported on a single day.

Karnataka reported the biggest spike of 2,062 new COVID-19 cases and a record 54 fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 28,877 and the death toll to 470. Out of the fresh cases reported today, a whopping 1,148 cases were from Bengaluru urban alone, while among 54 deaths, 22 are from this capital city.

In the highest-ever single-day jump in Kerala, as many as 301 people tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the infection tally to 6,195, state Health Minister KK Shailaja said. While 2,605 people were presently under treatment, as many as 107 were discharged on Wednesday, taking the cumulative recoveries to 3,561.

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West Bengal too witnessed the highest single-day spike in cases with 986 fresh infections, taking the states virus count to 24,823. The state also reported 23 new fatalities, raising the death toll to 827. The number of active COVID-19 cases now stands at 7,705. As many as 501 patients have recovered from the infection in the last 24 hours.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said lockdown would be imposed in containment zones in West Bengal for seven days from 5 pm on Thursday (July 09) to check the surge in the coronavirus cases. She also directed the police to be strict with those violating norms put in place in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gujarat reported 783 new coronavirus cases, the biggest spike, taking the count to 38,419. The state reported the death of 16 coronavirus patients, taking the total fatalities to 1,995. Also, 569 more patients were discharged from hospitals, pushing up the number of recovered cases in the state to 27,313.

The number of coronavirus positive patients in Maharashtra rose to 2,23,724 with the addition of 6,603 cases on Wednesday. The COVID-19 fatality count grew by 198, which pushed the overall tally of victims in the state to 9,448. As many as 4,634 patients recovered from the infection and were discharged from hospitals across the state.

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Tamil Nadu reported 3,756 COVID-19 cases and 64 fatalities, taking the tally to 1.22 lakh, while the death toll went up to 1,700. The doubling time of coronavirus cases in Chennai, meanwhile, improved to 25.42 days as of Tuesday (July 07) from 18 days on June 28. Chennai recorded 1,261 new cases, while Madurai saw 379 cases.

The number of coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh crossed the 30,000-mark on Wednesday as 1,188 fresh cases were reported in the state, with 18 new deaths in the last 24 hours. As many as 31,156 people have tested positive for the disease, while 845 fatalities have been reported in the state.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sought a detailed report from the health secretary with an analysis of the factors behind the COVID-19 deaths in the national capital in the last fortnight. According to officials, Delhi reported over 800 COVID-19 deaths in the last two weeks, with 397 people succumbing to the disease in the first week of July.