India reports 271 COVID-19 deaths, 56,211 new cases of infection

New Delhi, March 30, 2021

India today reported 271 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and 56,211 new cases of infection in the last 24 hours as the continuing spike in the numbers of fresh cases in Maharashtra and some other States remained a cause of serious concern.

At 271, the number of deaths reported today is lower than the 291 recorded yesterday.

The number of fresh cases of infection registered today, at 56,211, is markedly lower than the 68,020 reported yesterday, which was the highest since October 11, 2020.

Of the 56,211 new cases of infection reported in India in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra -- the worst-hit State -- alone accounted for 31,643 cases.

The State also accounted for 102 of the 271 deaths reported in the country in the last 24 hours.

Apart from Maharashtra, Punjab (2,868 new cases), Karnataka (2,792), Madhya Pradesh (2,323), Tamil Nadu (2,279) and Gujarat (2,252) are the States which are continuing to report a surge in new cases. Together, they account for 78.56% of the new cases reported in the country today.

Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan are the other States which are reporting an upward trajectory of new cases.

With the latest numbers put out by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare this morning, the death toll in the country so far has risen to 162,114 while the total number of cases of infection, since the first case was registered in late January last year, has climbed to 12,095,855.

The number of those who have recovered from COVID-19 rose to 11,393,021 as of this morning, up 37,028 from yesterday. The recovery rate has fallen to 94.18% from 94.32% yesterday.

The number of active cases went up by 18,912 in the last 24 hours to 540,720 -- the highest since November 3, 2020, when it had stood at 541,405.

Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh together account for 79.64% of the total active cases in the country while Maharashtra alone accounts for more than 62% of the active caseload in India.

The active caseload has been rising after February 12 this year, when it had touched its lowest mark of 135,926 in recent months.

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

The world has reported a total of 127.587 million cases of COVID-19 so far while the global death toll has climbed past 2.791 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 30.331 million cases) and Brazil (more than 12.573 million cases).

In terms of the number of deaths, the country now ranks fourth after the US (550,003), Brazil (313,866) and Mexico (201,832).

NNN