Coronavirus: COVID-19 cases have been rising in India, though recovery rate has improved

New Delhi:

India reported over 50,000 coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period for the first time, government data shows. This is the biggest one-day spike in cases so far. At least 52,123 COVID-19 cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total cases to 15,83,792. Government data shows 775 have died in the last 24 hours; the total fatalities are now 34,968. The total number of people who have recovered is 10,20,582 and recovery rate is 64.43 per cent, while the positivity rate is 11.67 per cent. The total samples tested till this morning is 1,81,90,382, while 4,46,642 samples were tested on Wednesday.

The five states that reported the biggest spike in cases in the last 24 hours are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Government data shows 66.41 per cent of total cases reported in the last 24 hours are from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal reported the highest number of deaths in the last 24 hours, comprising 74.58 per cent of fatalities during this period.

Around six in 10 people living in some of the biggest slums in India have antibodies for the coronavirus, indicating they have recovered from infection, in what appears to be one of the highest population immunity levels known worldwide, Bloomberg reported.

The findings, from a July serological survey of 6,936 people across three suburbs in Mumbai, may explain why a steep drop in infections is being seen among the closely-packed population, despite new cases accelerating overall in India.

Night curfew has been scrapped and gyms and yoga institutes that are not in containment zones have been allowed to reopen in Unlock3 – the third phase of lifting of coronavirus-related restrictions across the country – declared by the government on Wednesday.

In the fresh central guidelines issued on Wednesday, the government said schools, colleges and educational institutions will remain shut till the end of August. Metro rail operations, cinema halls, swimming polls, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums and other places which involve large gatherings, will also remain shut.

In Madhya Pradesh, apart from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, nine legislators including seven BJP and two Congress MLAs have tested positive for coronavirus. Four BJP leaders who flew to Lucknow to attend Governor Lalji Tandon’s last rites last week have been found infected with COVID-19.