There are 6,92,028 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which is 23.82 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7.

The number of tests performed for coronavirus have increased steeply, the union health ministry has said, saying that more than 9 lakh tests are now being conducted daily. This is bolstered with all States/UTs testing more than 140 tests/day/million population as advised by WHO, it has said.

Meanwhile, the number of total COVID-19 cases globally has surged past 263,000 in a day, while over 6,500 patients have died in the same period of time, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) data said. The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide stands at 22,256,220, while the global death count is 782,456.

Amid the rising coronavirus cases, the Punjab government on Thursday announced a weekend lockdown in all 167 cities and towns in the state and increased the night curfew period by two hours.

The announcement came on a day the state saw its biggest single-day spike of 1,741 cases, taking the tally to 37,824. Thirty-seven more fatalities were also recorded in the state and the death toll now stands at 957.

The weekend lockdown, which was in force earlier only in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala, has now been extended to all the cities and towns in the state. The night curfew will be from 7pm till 5am instead of the earlier 9pm to 5am duration in all cities and towns. The measures will come into effect from Friday.