With 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases, India records highest one-day spike

New Delhi: India registered a record single-day spike of 1,31,968 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, pushing its tally to 1,30,60,542, said the Union health ministry on Friday. The toll increased to 1,67,642 with 780 more fatalities being registered in a day, highest since 18 October, according to the data updated at 8 am. Registering a steady increase for the 30th day in a row, the number of active COVID-19 cases increased to 9,79,608, which is 7.5 percent of the total infections. The active COVID-19 caseload in the country was recorded at its lowest of 1,35,926 on 12 February, comprising 1.25 percent of the total infections. The recovery rate in the country has further dropped to 91.22 percent, it added. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,19,13,292, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.28 per cent, 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 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 25,40,41,584 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in the country so far, including 13,64,205 on Thursday.