Maharashtra reported a record spike of 17,433 new cases, its highest single-day count so far, taking its tally to 8,25,739. The state also reported 292 fresh deaths, 34 of them in state capital Mumbai, pushing up the fatality count to 25,195.

Andhra Pradesh – the state with the second-highest coronavirus count, has maintained a steady streak for another day, with 10,392 fresh coronavirus cases, pushing the state’s total case to 4,55,531.

With 5,990 new COVID cases, Tamil Nadu’s COVID-19 tally has reached 4,39,959. The southern state also reported 98 fatalities taking the number of deaths to 7,516. As many as 75,829 samples were tested and 49,64,141 specimens have been examined till date, a health department bulletin said.

Karnataka on Wednesday reported its biggest single day spike of over 9,800 new COVID-19 cases and 113 deaths, taking the infection count to 3,61,341 and the number of deaths to 5,950, the health department said. The day saw the state testing a record 73,317 samples, including 38,735 using the rapid antigen kits, as the cumulative specimens examined crossed the 30 lakh mark.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Delhi increased by around 50 per cent in a month, with the city witnessing a marked uptick in new cases, according to government data. The number of  active COVID-19 cases have increased to over 15,000, an analysis of Delhi government’s health bulletins showed.

In the northeast, Tripura recorded its highest single day spike of 566 cases. This is the third consecutive day of highest spike in Tripura. 125 deaths have been reported  in the state so far. Tripura has highest mortality rate and lowest recovery rate in the northeast.

India has been reporting “one of the lowest COVID-19 fatality rates in the world” with the figure further declining to 1.76 per cent against a global average of 3.3 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday. “While the global average is 110 deaths per million population, India is reporting 48 deaths per million population. The comparative figure for Brazil and the UK is 12 and 13 times higher, respectively,” the ministry said.

International passengers who have to take connecting domestic flights after landing in India can undergo tests for COVID-19 at the entry airports, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Wednesday. If the RT-PCR test result is negative, the international passenger will be allowed to catch his or her connecting domestic flight and he or she will not need to undergo any institutional quarantine at the destination city, the ministry’s order said.

Global coronavirus infections have soared past 2.57 crore, as countries tighten restrictions to halt the health crisis that has upended life for most of humanity. Over 8.56 lakh people have died of the infection globally. 

The US – the country worst hit by the pandemic – has said that it will not work with global effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.