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With this, India has a total of 87.28 lakh cases and 1,28,668 deaths, of which 547 were recorded in the last 24 hours. In this period, overall recoveries also rose to 81 lakh as almost 49,000 people fought off the disease. There are now 4,84,547 active cases, which comprise 5.55 per cent of the total caseload.
According to India's top medical research body that is overseeing the country's pandemic management strategy, a cumulative total of 12 crore samples have been tested so far with 11,39,230 samples being tested on Thursday.
Delhi, which is in the middle of its third COVID-19 wave, contributed the highest number of new infections - 7,053 - to the country's daily case count for the sixth straight day. It also recorded more than 100 deaths for the first time ever.
In this backdrop, the Delhi High Court allowed the Arvind Kejriwal government to reserve 80 per cent beds in the Intensive Care Units of 33 private hospitals for Covid patients. The availability of ICU beds with ventilator support in Delhi has reached at an all-time low, with only 13 per cent beds available in private and government hospitals combined.
Delhi's neighbour Haryana entered the list of states with highest daily numbers as it recorded 2,788 cases. Together with Kerala (5,537), Maharashtra (4,496) and West Bengal (3,856), these states account for almost 53 per cent of all cases.
According to data analysed by the NDTV, other states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are also recording a surge in cases. Their 7-day average stands at 1,932, 1,076, 882 and 625, respectively
Highest Covid-related fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - 60 per cent of India's daily fatality count.
Globally, the novel coronavirus disease has infected more than 5 crore people since its outbreak in China last December. Viral outbreaks have since forced countries to enforce multiple lockdowns to control the novel coronavirus which has killed almost 13 lakh people.
The United States, world's worst affected country with a fifth of all cases worldwide, has been recording more than one lakh cases for the past week; more than 2.5 lakh people died of COVID-19.
France, with almost 19 lakh cases, remains the worst hit nation in Europe where a new surge in coronavirus infections amid the winter has pushed up fatality.
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