New Delhi, April 22: The tally of coronavirus cases in India crossed 20,000-mark on Wednesday, with around 1,486 new infections being recorded by the government in the last 24 hours. The death count accelerated to 652 -- a surge of 49 fatalities as compared to the day before. Nearly 4,000 persons have also recovered from the contagious disease so far, said the government data. Karnataka Government To Ease Lockdown Restrictions in Non-Containment Zones From April 23; Here's What Will Open Amid COVID-19 Crisis.

The overall count of COVID-19 cases in India accelerated to 20,471, which included 15,859 active patients, 3960 who have been cured and 652 persons who have succumbed to death, said the statement released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Update by ANI

The worst-affected Indian state is Maharashtra, which has reported 5221 active infections so far. The state has also recorded 251 deaths and 721 recoveries. Delhi is the next worst-hit region, with over 2,800 cases including 47 fatalities. Tamil Nadu in the South has reported over 2,260 cases, including 18 deaths.

India, with a population of 1.3 billion, is treading cautiously in the fight against novel coronavirus. Since March 24 midnight, the country is under a state of lockdown to contain the virus transmission. The restrictionary measures have yielded success as India's doubling rate of cases has increased from 3.4 to 7.5 days, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Globally, the pandemic has infected more than 25,00,000 persons and claimed around 172,000 lives. The worst-United States has reported more than 40,000 deaths, followed by over 20,000 fatalities in Spain, Italy and France -- the three COVID-19 hotspots in Europe.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2020 06:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).