India records biggest surge of 9,851 COVID cases in 24 hours

With India recording its highest single-day jump of 9,851 coronavirus cases and 273 deaths on Friday (June 5), experts say the country will soon cross Italy’s mark.

Reports claim that with the current rate of rapid spreading, the country will cross Italy’s tally. Italy currently has 2,33,836 cases of COVID-19.

India is now the seventh worst-hit nation after the US, Brazil, Russia, the UK, Spain and Italy. In terms of fatalities, India is ranked 12th at present, while it is placed at eighth place in terms of recoveries. However, India figures among the top-five countries in terms of active cases.

India as on June 5 had the nationwide infection tally to 2,26,770 and the death toll to 6,348.

According to the Union health ministry, the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 1,10,960, while 1,09,461 people have recovered and one patient has migrated. “Thus, around 48.27 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior health ministry official said. The total confirmed cases include foreigners.

Of the 273 deaths reported since Thursday morning, 123 were in Maharashtra, 44 in Delhi, 33 in Gujarat, 16 in Uttar Pradesh, 12 in Tamil Nadu, 10 in West Bengal, six each in Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, four each in Karnataka, Bihar and Rajasthan, three each in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, two in Uttarakhand and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Jharkhand.

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Of the total 6,348 fatalities, Maharashtra tops tally with 2,710 deaths followed by Gujarat with 1,155 deaths, Delhi with 650, Madhya Pradesh with 377, West Bengal with 355, Uttar Pradesh with 245, Tamil Nadu with 220, Rajasthan with 213, Telangana with 105 and Andhra Pradesh with 71 deaths.

The death toll reached 57 in Karnataka and 47 in Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 35 fatalities due to the disease, Bihar has 29, Haryana has 24 deaths, Kerala has 14, Uttarakhand has 10, Odisha has seven and Jharkhand has reported six deaths so far. Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have registered five COVID fatalities each, Assam has recorded four deaths while Chhattisgarh has reported two deaths so far. Meghalaya and Ladakh have reported one COVID-19 fatality each, according to the ministry data.

According to the ministry’s website, more than 70 per cent of the deaths are due to comorbidities.

The country is currently under nationwide lockdown with certain relaxations. The government on Thursday announced new rules for allowing shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and places of worship to open gradually following the lockdown.