India's COVID-19 tally tops 22 lakh with 62,064 new cases

India's novel coronavirus tally crossed the 22-lakh mark on Monday with 62,064 new cases, while the recoveries surged to over 15.35 lakh, the Health Ministry said.

The death toll from the pathogen climbed to 44,386 with 1,007 more fatalities, according to the ministry data.

There are 6,34,945 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The total coronavirus cases now stands at 22,15,074, it said.

India's COVID-19 recoveries have crossed the 'historic peak' of 1.5 million with the recovery of 15,35,743 patients that was possible because of the policy of 'testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently', the Health Ministry said in a statement.

'Better ambulance services, focus on standard of care and use of non-invasive oxygen have given the desired results,' the ministry said.

With the highest-ever single-day recoveries of 54,859 in the last 24 hours, the recovery rate has scaled another high of almost 70 per cent, it said.

The record high recoveries have ensured that the percentage of the active cases have reduced and currently comprise only 28.66 per cent of the total positive cases.

The coordinated efforts of the Centre and state/UT governments on early detection through aggressive testing and efficient clinical management of hospitalised cases have shown results with continuously regressing case fatality rate, which now stands at 2 per cent and is steadily declining, the ministry said.

Early identification of cases has also led to a steep fall in the percentage of active cases, it said.

'Early identification helps to ensure timely and prompt isolation of the mild and moderate cases and hospitalisation of the severe and critical cases thereby leading to effective management of cases,' the ministry said.

It is important to note that the COVID-19 infection still remains concentrated in 10 states and Union territories that contribute more than 80 per cent of the new cases, it said.

The aggressive testing and tracking through house-to-house surveys and well implemented containment strategies and surveillance in these areas may lead to an initial increase in positive cases, but well implemented strategies will ensure that the caseload reduces over time, the ministry said.

This is the fourth consecutive day that the COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 60,000.

As many as 4,77,023 samples were tested on Sunday, taking the total to 2,45,83,558, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Of the 1,007 more deaths, 390 are from Maharashtra, 119 from Tamil Nadu, 107 from Karnataka, 97 from Andhra Pradesh, 54 from West Bengal, 41 from Uttar Pradesh, 24 each from Gujarat and Punjab, 22 from Jharkhand, 19 from Madhya Pradesh, and 13 each from Delhi, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir.

Eleven fatalities have been reported from Rajasthan, 10 from Telangana, nine from Haryana, eight from Uttarakhand, seven each from Chhattisgarh and Puducherry, five each from Bihar and Assam, three from Goa, two from Kerala, one each from Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Chandigarh.

Of the total 44,386 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum of 17,757, followed by 4,927 in Tamil Nadu, 4,111 in Delhi and 3,198 in Karnataka.

There have been 2,652 fatalities in Gujarat, 2,069 in Uttar Pradesh, 2,059 in West Bengal, 2,036 in Andhra Pradesh and 996 in Madhya Pradesh.

A total of 789 people have died in Rajasthan due to the pandemic, followed by 637 in Telangana, 586 in Punjab, 483 in Haryana and 472 in Jammu and Kashmir.

There have been 387 COVID-19 deaths in Bihar, 272 in Odisha, 177 in Jharkhand, 145 in Assam, 125 in Uttarakhand, 108 in Kerala.

Chhattisgarh has registered 96 deaths, followed by 87 in Puducherry, 75 in Goa, 42 in Tripura and 25 in Chandigarh.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported 20 deaths, Himachal Pradesh 15, Manipur 11, Ladakh nine and Nagaland eight.

There have been six coronavirus deaths in Meghalaya and three in Arunachal Pradesh, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu reported two and Sikkim one.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

'Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,' the ministry said, adding that state-wise distribution of figures was subject to further verification and reconciliation.