New Delhi, October 14: The total number of tests for detection of COVID-19 has crossed nine-crore in India, while the cumulative positivity rate is 8.04 per cent and is on a "continuous decline", the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Very high countrywide testing on a sustained basis has also resulted in bringing down the national COVID-19 positivity rate, the ministry underlined.

"This indicates that the rate of spread of infection is being effectively contained," the ministry said. "Twenty states and UTs have a positivity rate less than the national average. The cumulative positivity rate is 8.04 per cent and is on a continuous decline," it highlighted. India’s COVID-19 Tally Crosses 72-Lakh Mark With 63,509 New Cases in Past 24 Hours, Death Toll Rises to 1,10,586.

India has been registering more new recoveries than the new cases consistently in the recent days. As a result, the active cases are steadily declining and stand at 8,26,876 as on date and comprise only 11.42 per cent of the total caseload of the country, the ministry stressed.

With 11,45,015 tests conducted on Tuesday, the cumulative tests for detection of COVID-19 have reached 9,00,90,122 in the country. With 1,935 testing labs in the country including 1,112 government laboratories and 823 private laboratories, the daily testing capacity has got a substantial boost.

"Higher testing across wide regions leads to early identification of positive cases, prompt tracking through efficient surveillance and tracing, and timely and effective treatment in homes/facilities and in hospitals for the severe cases. These measures in tandem eventually lead to lower mortality rate," the ministry underscored.

A total of 74,632 COVID-19 cases have recovered and discharged in a span of 24 hours whereas 63,509 new infections were reported during the same period, according to the data updated at 8 am.

"Higher number of recoveries has aided the national Recovery Rate to further improve to 87.05 per cent," the ministry said. The total recoveries have surged to 63,01,927 and exceed active cases of COVID-19 by 54,75,051. Coronavirus in India: Live Map.

Also, 79 per cent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 states and UTs --- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Delhi, the ministry said.

Maharashtra continues to contribute the maximum with more than 15,000 single day recoveries. The ministry said that 77 per cent of the 63,509 new infections registered in a span of 24 hours are from 10 states and UTs --Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnatala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

Kerala with 8,764 new cases has outnumbered Maharashtra (8,522) with the highest number of new reported cases. Top three contributing states, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka, reported more than 8,000 cases followed by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, both contributing more than 4,000 cases each.

Also, 730 case COVID-19 fatalities have been reported in a span of 24 hours. Of these, nearly 80 per cent are concentrated in ten states and UTs.

More than 25 per cent of new fatalities reported are from Maharashtra (187 deaths). COVID-19 Vaccine Development: Major Updates on Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, Bharat Biotech & Sinopharm Candidates.

India has demonstrated an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cumulative tests since January 2020. The country's testing capacities have multiplied manifold with more than 1900 labs across the country and with collaborative efforts of the Centre and state and UT governments. More than 15 lakh samples can be tested every day, the ministry said. Progressive expansion in testing infrastructure has played a crucial role in the steep rise of testing numbers, it said.