COVID-19 update: New cases fall below one lakh after 63 days; daily positivity rate at 4.62%

New Delhi: India reported less than one lakh new coronavirus infections after a gap of 63 days, while the daily positivity rate dropped to 4.62 percent, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. A single day rise of 86,498 cases were registered, the lowest in 66 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,89,96,473. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 3,51,309 with 2,123 daily deaths, the lowest in 47 days, the data updated at 8 am showed. A total of 81,466 new cases were recorded in a span of 24 hours on 2 April. Follow LIVE updates on COVID-19 here Also, 18,73,485 tests were conducted on Monday taking the total cumulative tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 36,82,07,596. The daily positivity rate has dropped to 4.62 percent . It has been less than 10 per cent for 15 consecutive days, the ministry said. The weekly positivity rate has declined to 5.94 percent. The active cases reduced to 13,03,702 comprising 4.50 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 94.29 percent. A net decline of 97,907 cases has been recorded in the COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for the 26th consecutive day. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,73,41,462 while the case fatality rate stands at 1.21 percent, the data stated. Cumulatively, 23,61,98,726 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on 7 August, 30 lakh on 23 August, 40 lakh on 5 September and 50 lakh on 16 September. It went past 60 lakh on 28 September, 70 lakh on 11 October, crossed 80 lakh on 29 October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed the one-crore mark on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on 4 May. The 2,123 new fatalities include 351 from Tamil Nadu, 340 each from Maharashtra and Karnataka, 211 from Kerala, and 103 from West Bengal. A total of 3,51,309 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,00,470 from Maharashtra, 31,920 from Karnataka, 27,356 from Tamil Nadu, 24,627 from Delhi, 21,333 from Uttar Pradesh, 16,362 from West Bengal, 15,160 from Punjab and 13,243 from Chhattisgarh. 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 on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.