India records 2.17 lakh COVID-19 cases in largest 24-hr surge
Recording the biggest daily spike of COVID-19 cases so far, India on Friday (April 16) logged in 2,17,353 fresh infections, taking its cumulative tally to 1,42,91,917 cases including 15,69,743 active cases.
This is the second consecutive day when the country logged in more than 2 lakh fresh cases. The death toll increased to 1,74,308 with 1,185 new fatalities, the highest since September 19, 2020, said Union Health Ministry data.
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This is the 37th day in a row when cases have seen a steady rise. The active cases have increased to 15,69,743, comprising 10.98 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate dropped to 87.80 per cent.
The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,25,47,866, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.22 per cent.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. According to the ICMR, 26,34,76,625 samples have been tested up to April 15 with 14,73,210 samples being tested on Thursday.
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(With inputs from agencies)