Coronavirus Deaths In India Cross 20,000, Over 7 Lakh Cases So Far

Coronavirus: India is the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world.

New Delhi: India's coronavirus count crossed the seven lakh-mark on Monday, just four days after the number of infections in the country reached six lakh. 22,252 fresh cases and 467 deaths in the last 24 has pushed the total cases in the country to 7,19,665 and the death count to 20,160, figures from the Union Health Ministry this morning show. 4,39,948 patients across the country have recovered so far, taking the recovery rate to 61.13 per cent. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases, followed by Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. India is the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world, as a group of scientists said there was now overwhelming evidence that the disease can be airborne -- and for far longer than originally thought.

Here are the top 10 updates on coronavirus:

Maharashtra recorded 5,368 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the COVID-19 tally to 2,11,987. 204 coronavirus patients died in the last 24 hours, taking the death count to 9,206. Mumbai reported 1,201 new cases, taking the case count in the financial capital of the country to 85,326. The number of COVID-19 deaths in Mumbai has gone up by 39, to 4,935.
Coronavirus cases in Delhi crossed the one lakh-mark on Monday, 125 days after the first case was reported in the city on March 2. 1,379 fresh cases and 48 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in Delhi now stands at 1,00,823 but it is significant that out of the total cases, over 72,000 patients have recovered from the infection.
In Tamil Nadu, the three week total lockdown in Chennai appears to be paying off. After crossing the 2,000-mark for five straight days, Chennai's COIVD-19 tally is now under 1,800 for the third day. However, Madurai and districts in neighbouring Chennai have seen a virus spike. Tamil Nadu has recorded 1,14,978 cases so far, including 1,571 deaths.
Karnataka's capital Bengaluru has seen a 15.7 per cent increase in COVID-19 cases over three days, data showed on Monday. While Karnataka has reported 25,317 coronavirus cases, Bengaluru alone has over 10,000 cases. More worryingly, Bengaluru also has the lowest recovery rate - 14.7 per cent compared to Delhi's 71.7 per cent, Chennai's 62 per cent and Mumbai's 66.1 per cent.
Amid a huge surge in coronavirus infections in Assam's Guwahati, a "first-of-its-kind" door-to-door coronavirus testing drive has been launched in the city. Guwahati has seen a surge of 4,000 new infections since June 15. Assam has reported 12,160 cases so far, including 14 deaths.
Kerala reported 193 fresh cases and two deaths on Monday, pushing the total case count to 5,622 and the death count to 27. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that identifying the source of the coronavirus infection and contact-tracing for a person who tests positive are crucial within the state.
Ten states account for 92 per cent coronavirus-linked deaths and 84 per cent cases in the country. The states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
The ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) is looking to fast-track Phase I, II human clinical trials for COVAXIN - India's first coronavirus vaccine candidate. More than 1,100 people are expected to be enrolled in the first two phases of human clinical trials for COVAXIN, an application by developers Bharat Biotech said Friday. The government has said a vaccine will be launched by August 15 - a statement that invited criticism from opposition parties accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to score political points. Medical experts also cautioned against rushing drug trials, pointing to possible health risks to patients.
The government, like many around the world, has gradually lifted virus restrictions to help the economy. Schools, metro trains in cities, cinemas, gyms and swimming pools remain closed however and international flights are still grounded.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 5.37 lakh people globally since it emerged in China late last year. Over 1.16 crore people have been infected with the highly contagious virus.