Coronavirus Cases in India Rise to 694 as 88 New COVID-19 Cases Emerge Today

New Delhi, March 26:  India on Thursday witnessed a steep rise in coronavirus cases, as 88 patients were tested positive for COVID-19. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases rose to 694 in India. Sixteen people lost their lives in the country due to the deadly virusCoronavirus Live Map: How to Track The Spread of COVID-19 Across The Globe With This Dashboard.

Five deaths were also reported in India on Thursday. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with 121 positive cases, followed by Kerala where confirmed cases rose to 110. Three deaths were reported each from Maharashtra and Gujarat, while two people lost their lives in Karanataka due to the deadly virus. IAF Designates Command Hospital Air Force Bangalore as 1st Laboratory in The Force to Undertake COVID-19 Testing.

ANI's Tweet:

To avoid the further spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the country. The country will remain under complete shutdown till April 14. However, all shops of essential goods and services will remain open. The government urged people to maintain social distabcing.

Coronavirus, which originated from China's Wuhan city, has now spread across over 150 countries. In China, more than 3,000 people lost their lives. Meanwhile, Italy is the worst affected country. Death-toll crossed 7,000 in the European country.  In Spain also over 4,000 deaths were reported. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as "pandemic".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2020 09:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).