Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus:
India has been registering a steady increase for the 25th day in row. The active cases in the country have now surged to 6,91,597, accounting for 5.54 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate further dropped to 93.14 per cent, the data stated. The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12, comprising 1.25 per cent of the total infections.
Eight states account for 81.42 per cent of the infections reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry. These eight states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
Sixty per cent of the daily cases are coming from Maharashtra alone. The western state - which has shown a nine-fold jump in the last two months -reported 49,447 coronavirus cases and 277 deaths on Saturday. Eight of the ten districts with the highest number of coronavirus cases are in Maharashtra.
State capital Mumbai reported more than 9,000 daily coronavirus cases on Saturday - its highest ever single-day spike since the begining of the pandemic. It also logged 27 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded over 3,500 coronavirus cases for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The positivity rate in the national capital has risen to 4.48 percent from 4.11 per cent the day before, according to the health department.
The worrying surge in Covid cases has prompted many states to reinforce virus-fighting measures, including closure of educational institutions and restrictions on gatherings for marriages and other family functions.
The country is witnessing a worrying surge in cases amid a vaccination drive through which over seven crore people have been vaccinated so far.
The government has removed frontline medical and healthcare workers from registering for COVID-19 vaccination. It said the move is to ensure vaccine coverage expands quickly to include more categories of people, such as those above 45, as frontline medical and healthcare workers have already got first priority and enough time to get vaccinated.
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, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.
With 1.24 crore infections, India has the third highest number of cases in the world after the United States and Brazil.
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