Chh’garh and 4 states register sharp rise in daily COVID-19 cases

New Delhi, Mar 26 (PTI): Five states — Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat — have registered a sharp rise in daily COVID-19 cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday as India recorded 59,118 new infections, the highest single-day rise so far this year.
After touching its lowest mark in mid-February, India’s active COVID-19 caseload is on a steady rise and has breached the 4-lakh mark again after around three-and-half months. The lowest daily increase of 8,635 COVID-19 cases was reported on February 2 this year. The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12. As of date, there are 4.21 lakh active cases in the country, a net rise of 25,874 infections in a day. “Three states — Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab — together account for 73.64 per cent of the total active cases in the country,” the health ministry said. As for daily COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra reported the highest 35,952 infections in a day, followed by 2,661 in Punjab and 2,523 in Karnataka. According to the ministry, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Gujarat collectively account for 80 per cent of the new COVID-19 cases. Ten states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Haryana and Rajasthan — are displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases, it highlighted
India’s cumulative recoveries stand at 1,12,64,637 with 32,987 people recuperating in a day. Besides, 257 deaths were reported in a day.
Six states account for 78.6 per cent of the new deaths with Maharashtra reporting 111 fatalities and Punjab 43, the health ministry said.