Union health ministry data updated on Saturday 8 am showed a record single-day spike of 69,874 infections, taking the country’s COVID-19 caseload to 29,75,701, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 55,794 with 945 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours.

However, by night, a PTI tally showed India’s COVID-19 caseload at 30,37,657, death toll at 56,762 and recoveries at 22,71,054. The tally has been compiled as per information provided by the states and union territories.

India is the third worst-hit nation in terms of COVID-19 cases after the US and Brazil.

The Union health ministry on Saturday said the total number of recoveries has surged to 22,22,577 pushing the recovery rate to 74.69 per cent while the case fatality rate has further declined to 1.87 per cent. Recoveries exceeded active cases of the coronavirus infection by more than 15 lakhs.

India also crossed a significant milestone of testing more than 10 lakh samples for COVID-19 in 24 hours on Friday, taking cumulative tests to 3,44,91,073, the health ministry said on Saturday.

There are 6,97,330 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 23.43 per cent of the total caseload, it stated.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, India has been conducting on an average 8,89,935 tests in the last five days. The country has tested 3,44,91,073 samples across the country till August 21, it said.

India also has been testing around 74.7 people per lakh population, much higher than WHO’s guidelines of testing 14 people per lakh population, the apex health research body said.

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