Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh are the five states which reported the highest number of cases in the last 24 hours. These five states account for over 62 per cent of the active cases, according to the Health Ministry.

Even though India’s daily confirmed cases are among the highest in the world, the country has been able to maintain an impressive recovery rate. This morning, the Health Ministry, in a tweet, said that India’s recovery rate has touched a record high of more than 70,000 patients being discharged in a single day. It said that the country has witnessed a “steep exponential rise” in COVID-19 recoveries – from 50,000 in May to 30 lakh in September.

Five states have contributed to 60 per cent of the total recoveries, the government said. Maharashtra has contributed the maximum recoveries amounting to almost 21 per cent, followed by Tamil Nadu with 12.63 per cent, Andhra Pradesh with 11.91 per cent, Karnataka with 8.82 per cent and Uttar Pradesh with 6.14 per cent.

On Saturday,  Maharashtra — which still accounts for nearly a quarter of the new daily cases — reported its highest-ever single-day spike in COVID-19 cases at 20,489, taking the total count of infections to 8,83,862. This is the fourth consecutive day that Maharashtra reported a record number of fresh cases.

Delhi recorded 2,973 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday. The national capital has been reporting fresh infections in excess of 2,000  since September 1. Experts have attributed the rising cases in the national capital to reopening of economy, ramped-up testing, patients from outside the city coming for treatment and violation of safety norms by many people in public.

Andhra Pradesh, one of the worst-hit states, reported 10,825 new cases and 71 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the state Health Department. The total count of cases in the state now stands at 4,87,331. The southern state has 1,00,880 active cases while 3,82,104 persons have recovered from the viral infection. In neighbouring Karnataka, the government is planning to conduct one lakh tests per day, Medical Education Minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

India’s Case Fatality Rate, which is at 1.73 per cent, is also lower than the global average and is constantly declining, according to the government. It also said only 0.5 per cent of COVID-19 patients are on ventilators, two per cent patients are in ICUs and less than 3.5 per cent are on oxygen support.

Every individual living in containment zones should be tested using rapid antigen testing (RAT) kits, top medical body – the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – has stressed in its new advisory. “If an individual develops symptoms following a negative RAT (Rapid antigen tests) , an RT-PCR test should be done,” reads the nodal body’s new advisory.

India is the third country after the US and Brazil to record 40 lakh cases. The country’s caseload has gone from 30 lakh to 40 lakh in just 13 days, faster than the United States and Brazil.

Worldwide, COVID-19 has killed more than 870,000 people and infected more than 2.6 crore since it was first reported in China late last year. The World Health Organization has said that it does not expect widespread vaccinations against COVID-19 until the middle of next year.