India added over two lakh new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, an unprecedented figure, to take its toll to over 1.4 crore and 1,038 deaths in the same time span. India has been the world’s worst-hit country since April 2, forcing states scrambling to impose curbs to control the virus.
With 1,038 death in 24 hours, the total fatalities rose to 1,73,123. India’s tally of more than 1.4 crore COVID-19 cases is the second-highest globally, behind the United States and ahead of Brazil’s.
This is fifth straight day of the country seeing over 1.5 lakh new cases and the ninth straight of over one lakh cases. While the United States took 21 days to reach the daily count of two lakh daily cases from one lakh per day, India reached that grim milestone in just 11 days.
In worst-hit Maharashtra and capital Mumbai, restaurants are shut and public gatherings of more than five people are banned. The state reported 58,952 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the tally to 35,78,160, while 278 new fatalities pushed the death count to 58,804.
In terms of the total caseload, Maharashtra is followed by the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Delhi logged 17,282 fresh cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest since the pandemic reached the national capital last year. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a series of meetings today – first with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and then with the Health Minister, Chief Secretary, Health Secretary and other top officials, the media reported on Thursday.