Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh have reported a high single-day spike in novel coronavirus infection. The eight states accounted for 84.73 percent of the new COVID-19 cases reported in India in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry’s data updated on March 31.
India recorded 53,480 fresh infections that pushed India's COVID-19 tally to 1,21,49,335, while 354 new fatalities, the highest single-day spike so far this year, took the death toll to 1,62,468, said the ministry.
The active caseload increased to 5,52,566 and accounts for 4.55 percent of the total infections.
Five states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab and Chhattisgarh, cumulatively account for 79.30 percent of the total active COVID-19 cases in the country. Maharashtra leads with more than 61 percent of the active caseload of the country, as per the health ministry update.
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The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,14,34,301, while the recovery rate further dropped to 94.11 percent. The case fatality rate stands at 1.34 percent, the data stated.
A total of 19,40,999 doses of coronavirus vaccines were administered in India on March 30, the ministry's latest provisional report has said, even as infections continue to spike in the country. Of these, 17,77,637 beneficiaries were given the first shot, while 1,63,362 people received their second doses, the report said. It included healthcare workers, frontline workers, people aged above 60 years and beneficiaries aged 45 to 60 years with specific co-morbidities. With this, more than 6.3 crore beneficiaries have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in the country so far.
(With inputs from PTI)
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