New Delhi, April 7: India's toll of coronavirus cases surged to 4,421 on Tuesday, as per the data updated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. In the last 24 hours, a total of 354 new COVID-19 patients were reported to have tested positive. The death toll also increased by five in the corresponding period, taking the overall fatality count to 114. COVID-19 Live Tracker: Map The Spread of Coronavirus in All Parts of India.

Among states, the worst-affected is Maharashtra where the tally of coronavirus cases is nearing the 900-mark. Tamil Nadu, hit by the Tablighi Jamaat event at Nizamuddin Markaz last month, has so far reported 633 cases, followed by Delhi where 549 cases were confirmed.

Kerala, which recorded the first coronavirus cases in India and was equally affected as Maharashtra till the past week, has successfully contained the number of new COVID-19 cases. The coastal state's tally is 387, followed by Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan which have also reported more than 300 cases.

The list of states which have reported less than 100 active cases includes Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Bihar and Uttarakhand. The least affected states, with less than 10 active cases, are Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh.

Update by ANI

India is under a state of nationwide lockdown till April 14 to curb the transmission of coronavirus. The restrictions are expected to be extended as the number of new cases continue to multiply. While the Union Cabinet Secretary had, last week, said that no proposal to extend the lockdown is being considered, a number of state governments have expressed their unwillingness to lift the restrictions.

A senior officer in the Uttar Pradesh government said on Monday that the lockdown may not be eased in the state from April 15. Assam Home Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also sounded concern, saying that the any possible easing of restrictions would only come in a "staggered manner". Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said the country's only weapon against COVID-19 is to impose restrictions.

"I am appealing to the Prime Minister and Government of India to extend lockdown without hesitation. Lockdown is the only weapon we have to control the spread of this disease and avoid a situation which countries like the US, Spain and Italy are facing," Rao said in his press briefing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2020 09:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).