COVID-19: India's case tally crosses 18 lakh, recoveries surge to 11.86 lakh

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 18-lakh mark on Monday (Aug 3), just a day after it went past 17 lakh, with 52,972 cases reported in a day, according to the Union Health Ministry data.  The number of recoveries surged to over 11.86 lakh.

The number of COVID-19 tests carried out in India has also crossed the 2 crore-mark, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The total coronavirus cases surged to 18,03,695, while the death toll due to COVID-19 climbed to 38,135 with 771 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the data updated at 8 am showed.

There are 5,79,357 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country at present while the recoveries have increased to 11,86,203. The COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 65.44 per cent, while the fatality rate is at 2.13 per cent.

The total number of confirmed cases also includes foreigners.

This is the fifth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000 in the country. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 17-lakh mark on Sunday.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 2,02,02,858 samples have been tested up to August 2 with 3,81,027 samples being tested on Sunday.

Meanwhile the national capital on Sunday reported 15 new COVID-19 deaths, the lowest in a month, and 961 fresh cases, with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking all personnel concerned to keep up with the hard work to ensure that the downward trend continues.

Kerala crossed 25,000 COVID-19 cases with another day of 1,000 plus infections while Andhra Pradesh saw a dip in its numbers and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka sustained their 5,000 plus aggregates.

The latest among prominent public figures in the country to have contracted COVID-19 are Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit. They were tested positive on Sunday and have been taken to hospitals for observation.