India's COVID-19 Count Crosses 2.5 Million Mark After Spike of Over 65,000 Cases in Past 24 Hours

New Delhi, August 15: With a spike of more than 65,000 cases in the past 24 hours, India's coronavirus (COVID-19) count crossed 2.5 million on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India reported 65,002 COVID-19 cases and 996 deaths due to the infection over the past 24 hours. Following the increase, the country's coronavirus tally touched 25,26,193 including 6,68,220 active cases, 18,08,936 discharged and 49,036 deaths. One patient had migrated to another country. Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patients Less Likely to Infect Close Contacts: Study.

The country had touched the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and added more than five lakh cases in eight days. The silver lining, however, is that the gap between recoveries and active cases is growing every day. Out of the total 25,26,193 cases, recoveries have surged to 18,08,936 with a record 57,382 more people recuperating in the past 24 hours. Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with a total of 5,72,734 cases and 19,427 deaths. Lav Agarwal, Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary, Tests Positive for COVID-19.

The overall number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed the 21 million mark, while the deaths were nearing 763,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As of Saturday morning, the total number of cases stood at 21,066,992 and the fatalities rose to 762,997, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed in its latest update.

India continues to be the third worst-hit after Brazil with 3,226,443 infections and 105,490 deaths, and the US which accounted for the world's highest number of infections and fatalities at 5,309,138 and 168,396.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2020 10:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).