Record 28,472 COVID-19 patients recover in 24 hours

India's COVID-19 recovery rate rose to 63.13 per cent on Wednesday with a record 28,472 patients recuperating from the disease in 24 hours, while the case fatality rate further dropped to 2.41 per cent, the Union health ministry said.

According to the ministry data updated at 8 am, recoveries have surged to 7,53,049 exceeding active cases of coronavirus infection by 3,41,916.

The health ministry said that effective clinical management of COVID-19 cases has led to an improvement in recovery figures while case fatality has been falling continuously.

Case fatality rate has dropped to 2.41 per cent from Tuesday's 2.43 per cent. It was 3.36 per cent on June 17.

"While the national recovery rate has improved, 19 states and Union Territories are posting a recovery rate higher than the national average," the ministry said.

It said that the consistently increasing number of recovered people and growing difference between active and recovered patients are testimony that strategies adopted by the Centre and implemented by states and Union Territories are bearing desired outcomes.

The primary focus has been on early detection through house-to-house surveys, surveillance, contact tracing, effective containment plans, screening of the vulnerable populace and wide-spread testing, the health ministry said.

The ramped up three-tier health infrastructure and well-executed standard of care protocol have aided in effective treatment in hospitals and through home isolation, it added.

India registered 37,724 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday pushing the country's COVID-19 tally to 11,92,915 while the death toll rose to 28,732 with 648 people succumbing to the disease in a day, the updated data showed.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, along with the Centres of Excellence in the states and Union Territories have bolstered clinical treatment and critical care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, thereby managing to reduce the case fatality rate in India, the ministry said.

The e-ICU program of AIIMS, Delhi, is yet another avenue of Centre-state cooperation which is aimed at reducing mortality.

Conducted twice a week, these teleconsultation sessions have mentored and supported big COVID-19 hospitals in states through shared experiences and technical advice from domain experts in clinical management of ICU patients.

"With dedicated efforts of healthcare workers, recoveries are improving and case fatality is continuously falling, which currently stands at 2.41 per cent," the ministry said.

States and UTs with recovery rate higher than the national average include Delhi (84.83 per cent), Telangana (78.37 per cent), Rajasthan (72.50 per cent), Gujarat (72.30 per cent), Chhattisgarh (71.81 per cent), Assam (71.05 per cent), Odisha (70.96 per cent), Tamil Nadu (70.12 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (67.47 per cent) and Bihar (63.95 per cent).

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 1,47,24,546 samples have been tested up to July 21 with 3,43,243 samples being tested on Tuesday.