India registers 2,59,170 new coronavirus cases, record 1,761 fatalities in 24 hrs

New Delhi: India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 1,53,21,089 with 2,59,170 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, while active cases surpassed the 20-lakh mark, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Tuesday. The toll increased to 1,80,530 with a record 1,761 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase for the 41st day in a row, the active cases increased to 20,31,977, comprising 13.26 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate dropped to 85.56 percent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,31,08,582, while the case fatality rate further dropped to 1.18 percent, the data stated. 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. According to the ICMR, 26,94,14,035 samples have been tested up to 19 April with 15,19,486 samples being tested on Monday. The 1,716 new fatalities include 351 from Maharashtra, 240 from Delhi, 175 from Chhattisgarh, 167 from Uttar Pradesh, 146 from Karnataka, 117 from Gujarat, 83 from Punjab,79 from Madhya Pradesh, 53 from Rajasthan, 46 from Jharkhand, 44 from Tamil Nadu, 41 from Bihar and 38 from West Bengal and 33 from Haryana. A total of 1,80,530 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 60,824 from Maharashtra, 13,497 from Karnataka ,13,157 from Tamil Nadu, 12,361 from Delhi, 10,606 from West Bengal, 9,997 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,985 from Punjab and 7,437 from Andhra Pradesh. The health ministry stressed that more than 70 percent 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.