NEW DELHI, May 17: India today recorded the highest single day spike of 4,987 new cases.
The country recorded the highest single day spike of 4,987 new cases as the total climbed to 90,927 and also 120 more fatalities to take the death toll to 2,872, according to the Union Health Ministry. The previous highest single day increase was on May 11 when 4,213 cases were reported.
India is now in the 11th position in the overall number of cases among countries with the US (nearly 15 lakh cases) topping the tally, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.
The number of active COVID-19 cases stands at 53,946, while 34,108 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said.
According to a PTI tally based on reports from state health departments, the total cases stood at 94,887 while the death toll was 2,907 and recoveries at 2,907.
The Union Health Ministry data updated in the morning showed the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 30,706, followed by Gujarat (10,988), Tamil Nadu (10,585), Delhi (9,333). Rajasthan (4,960), Madhya Pradesh (4,789) and Uttar Pradesh (4,258) were the other States accounting for over 4,000 cases.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the doubling time of Coronavirus infections in India has improved to 13.6 days in the last three days from 11.5 in the past 14 days,
The fatality rate is down to 3.1 per cent and the recovery rate has improved to 37.5 per cent, he said.
Elaborating on his point that the spread of the infection in the country has been slow, Vardhan said Coronavirus cases in India reached the 80,000 mark in 106 days while developed nations such as the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany and the US took 44-66 days to reach that mark.
The Coronavirus outbreak in jails with Jaipur accounting for a large chunk also sparked worries of new cluster cases.
Nearly 150 inmates in Jaipur’s district and central jail have tested positive for COVID-19 after a prisoner who came in early April was the source of infection.
Authorities in several states have already released thousands of prisoners on parole or bail to decongest crowded prisons in the country to try halt the spread of the infection in closed settings. More number of prisoners are expected to be released in the coming days. (PTI)
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