India reports 154 COVID-19 deaths, nearly 40,000 new cases of infection in 24 hours

New Delhi, March 19, 2021

India today registered 154 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and another sharp rise in the number of new cases of infection to 39,726 in the past 24 hours as a steep spike in the fresh cases of infection in recent days in some States, especially Maharashtra, continued to cause concern.

At 154, the number of deaths in a single day is lower than the 172 recorded yesterday.

However, at 39,726, the number of new cases of infection in a 24-hour period is the highest since November 29, 2020, when 41,810 cases had been registered. It is also markedly higher than the 35,871 new cases recorded yesterday.

Of the 39,726 new cases reported today, Maharashtra, the worst-hit State in India, alone accounted for 25,833 cases.

The state also accounted for 58 of the 154 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours in the country.

With the latest numbers put out by the MoHFW, the death toll so far has risen to 159,370 while the total number of cases of infection in the country, since the first case was registered in late January last year, has risen to 11,514,331.

The number of deaths in a 24-hour period has remained below 200 for 58 consecutive days now. It has dropped below the 100-mark 19 times in the past 46 days. It has remained above 100 for ten consecutive days now.

The number of new cases of infection in a day rose above the 20,000-mark for the first time on March 11 after 57 days and has remained above that mark for nine consecutive days now. It has fallen below 10,000 five times in the last 52 days. It has, however, remained above the 10,000-mark for 31 consecutive days now.

The number of those who have recovered from COVID-19 rose to 11,083,679 as of this morning, up 20,654 from yesterday, even as the recovery rate fell to 96.25%.

The number of active cases went up sharply by 18,918 in the last 24 hours to 271,282, the highest since December 28, 2020.

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 172 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 35,871 new cases yesterday.

The world has reported a total of 121.746 million cases of COVID-19 so far while the global death toll has climbed past 2.690 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 29.665 million cases) and Brazil (more than 11.780 million cases).

In terms of the number of deaths, the country now ranks fourth after the US (539,663), Brazil (287,499) and Mexico (196,606).

NNN