NEW DELHI, Mar 20 (NNN-PTI) – India’s COVID-19 tally rose to 11,555,284 today, with both the daily cases and new deaths hitting the highest numbers this year.
A total of 40,953 new cases and 188 more deaths were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry. The death toll mounted to 159,558.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, expressed concern at the sudden rise in cases, and called for immediate steps to curb a possible second wave of the pandemic in the country.
There are still 288,394 active cases in the country, while 11,107,332 people have been discharged, so far, from hospitals after medical treatment.
There was an increase of 17,112 active cases during the day, out of which most cases were reported from the south-western state of Maharashtra.
The number of daily active cases had been on the rise over the past few days, as another wave of COVID-19 looms large in India.
India’s nationwide vaccination drive started on Jan 16, and over 42 million people have been vaccinated across the country, so far.
Meanwhile, 232,431,517 tests have been conducted till yesterday, out of which 1,060,971 tests were conducted yesterday alone, said the latest data issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), today.
The national capital, Delhi, one of the most COVID-19 affected places in the country, has been witnessing fewer cases over the past several months. Only as many as 716 new cases and four deaths were registered in the capital through yesterday.
So far, 10,953 people died in the capital, due to COVID-19.
