Coronavirus Outbreak: In highest single-day spike yet, India's COVID-19 tally nears 1.5 million cases

India recorded the highest-single day spike on Monday in the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases. With over 49,931 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count on this day crossed the 14.35 lakh-mark, while the death toll has crossed the 32,700-mark as well. 

As the coronavirus cases in India continue to spread rapidly, India is now just behind the United States and Brazil in terms of the total confirmed cases as it already overtook Russia to take the third spot in the list of worst-hit nations in the world affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It is, therefore, also the biggest epicenter of the coronavirus disease pandemic in Asia.

At 9:30 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in the country has reached 14,35,453 cases, which include 4,85,114 active cases; 9,17,568 cured, discharged, or migrated patients, and 32,771 deaths.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 49,931 new COVID-19 cases and 648 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant spike. In fact, this is the highest spike in the country's COVID-19 tally as of yet.

Maharashtra continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus spread where the number of cases has witnessed an even large spike recently. According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 3,75,799 positive cases of COVID-19 infection and 13,656 deaths. 

Notably, Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, has become the hotbed of the coronavirus spread in the state where the number of cases has crossed the 1.09 lakh-mark and the death toll has topped the 6,000-mark as well. At 9:30 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in Mumbai showed 1,09,161 cases and 6,093 deaths.

One of the real challenges in Mumbai is controlling the disease contamination in Asia's biggest slum -- Dharavi, which is an extremely densely-populated region.

Maharashtra is followed by Tamil Nadu with 2,13,723 cases. The state crossed Delhi to take up second place in the list due to a recent massive surge in the number of cases.

The national capital is third on the list with 1,30,606 cases.

After Delhi comes Andhra Pradesh, where the COVID-19 figure stands at 96,298 cases with 46,301 patients recovered, and 1,041 fatalities. Karnataka has reported 96,141 cases of which 35,838 have recovered and 1,880 patients are dead.

Uttar Pradesh has reported 66,988 positive cases so far of which 41,641 patients have recovered and 1,426 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In West Bengal, as many as 58,718 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 37,751 recovered and 1,372 people succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 19,026 people have been detected positive for coronavirus so far.

Meanwhile, the Case Fatality Rate in the country continues to register a steady downfall. It had dropped to 2.46% two days ago

India has one of the lowest Case Fatality Rates in the world. Effective clinical management of the moderate and severe cases through a well-executed Standard of Care protocol has ensured a high rate of recovery among the COVID patients, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Meanwhile, India witnessed the highest ever recoveries of 36,145 COVID-19 patients in a single day in the last 24 hours. This has taken the total number of recovered cases to 8,85,576. The recovery rate has achieved another high of fast approaching 64%.

More patients are recovering quickly thus closing down the widening difference between recovered and active COVID-19 patients steadily. Recovered cases are 1.89 times the active cases (4,67,882).

The Union government has advised all State/UT governments to keep up with and effectively implement the strategy of “Test, Track and Treat”.