India logs 199 COVID-19 deaths, 40,751 new cases of infection in last 24 hours

New Delhi, March 23, 2021

India today logged 199 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and 40,751 new cases of infection in the last 24 hours as a surge in the spread of the virus in Maharashtra and some other states continued to remain a cause of concern.

At 199, the number of deaths is less than the number registered yesterday, when for the first time since January 13, it had risen beyond 200 to reach 212.

The 40,751 new cases of infection recorded today is also less than the 46,951 reported yesterday -- which was the highest since November 12, 2020 when 47,905 cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours.

Of the 40,751 new cases reported in the country today, Maharashtra -- the worst-hit State in India -- alone accounted for 24,645 cases, which is considerably lower than the 30,535 cases registered yesterday. The number of deaths in the last 24 hours in the state also came down to 58 from 99 yesterday.

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, recorded 3,262 new cases of infection today -- the third time this week that the number has crossed the 3,000-mark.

In terms of the number of new cases in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra was followed by Punjab with 2,299, Gujarat with 1,640 cases, Chhattisgarh with 1,525 cases, Karnataka with 1,445 cases and Tamil Nadu with 1,385 cases. They account for nearly 81% of the new cases in the last 24 hours.

These six States as well as Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan are displaying an upward trajectory in the daily new cases, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare said.

Both Maharashtra and Punjab have reported 58 deaths each in the last 24 hours, followed by Kerala and Chhattisgarh (12 each) and Tamil Nadu and Karnataka (10 each). These six States account for 80.4% of the COVID-19 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

As many as 14 States and Union Territories (UTs) have not reported any COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. They are Jammu & Kashmir, Goa, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Lakshadweep, Sikkim, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

With the latest numbers put out by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) this morning, the death toll in the country so far has risen to 160,166 while the total number of cases of infection, since the first case was registered in late January last year, has risen to 11,686,796.

The number of deaths in a 24-hour period had risen past 200 again yesterday after remaining below that level for 60 days. It has dropped below the 100-mark 19 times in the past 49 days. It has remained above 100 for 14 consecutive days now.

The number of new infections in a day has remained above the 40,000-mark for four consecutive days now.

The number of those who have recovered from COVID-19 rose to 11,181,253 as of this morning, up 29,785 from yesterday. The recovery rate has fallen to 95.67%.

The number of active cases went up by 10,731 in the last 24 hours to 345,377 -- the highest since December 14, when it had stood at 352,586. The active caseload has been rising after February 12, when it had touched its lowest mark of 135,926.

Three States -- Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab account for 75% of the total active cases in the country.

The highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 in a single day in the country -- 1,290 -- was reported on September 16 last year. India reported 212 deaths yesterday.

The highest number of fresh cases of infection in a 24-hour period -- 97,894 -- was reported on September 17 last year. India recorded 46,951 new cases yesterday.

Meanwhile, the number of vaccine doses administered to people has increased to 48,494,594 as of yesterday evening, the Ministry said. A total of 3.253 million doses were given yesterday.

The world has reported a total of 123.676 million cases of COVID-19 so far while the global death toll has climbed past 2.722 million as of this morning, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which is tracking the pandemic.

India is now placed third in the world in terms of the total number of cases of infection so far, behind the United States (more than 29.867 million cases) and Brazil (more than 12.047 million cases).

In terms of the number of deaths, the country now ranks fourth after the US (542,888), Brazil (295,425) and Mexico (198,239).

NNN