India reports 964 more COVID-19 deaths, 70,496 new cases of infection

New Delhi, October 9, 2020

India today registered 964 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 70,496 new cases of infection as the spread of the deadly virus continued to cause concern in several parts of the country.

With these, the death toll so far due to the disease has increased to 106,490 and the total number of cases of infection has risen to 6,906,151 since the first case was reported in the country in late January this year.

Also, the number of those who have recovered from COVID-19 continued to increase and stood at 5,906,069 as of this morning.

The number of active cases has gone down further by 8,833 since yesterday to 893,592.

The highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 in a single day in the country -- 1,290 -- was reported on September 16. India had reported 971 deaths yesterday.

The highest number of fresh cases of infection in a 24-hour period -- 97,894 -- was reported on September 17. The country had recorded 78,524 new cases yesterday.

This is the fifth consecutive day and the seventh time in 11 days that the country has reported less than 1,000 deaths in a single day. It is also the sixth consecutive day and the eighth time in 11 days that it has recorded less than 80,000 fresh cases of infection in a 24-hour period.

The country has reported more than 1,200 deaths in a 24-hour period four times in the past 29 days. It has registered a thousand-plus deaths for 31 of the last 39 days.

India, which has been recording more fresh cases of infection than any other country for the past several days, has reported more than 90,000 new cases in a 24-hour period for 12 of the last 34 days and more than 80,000 cases for 27 of the last 37 days. It has reported more than 75,000 cases on 38 of the last 44 days, more than 60,000 cases on 58 of the last 59 days and more than 50,000 new cases for the 71st consecutive day today.

The world has reported a total of more than 36.444 million cases of COVID-19 so far while the global death toll has increased to 1,050,929 this morning, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University in the United States, which is tracking the pandemic.

India is placed second in the world in terms of the total number of cases of infection so far, behind the United States (more than 7.605 million cases) and ahead of Brazil (more than 5.028 million cases).

In terms of the number of deaths, the country ranks third after the US (212,739) and Brazil (148,957).

Figures released this morning by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare showed that the 964 new deaths reported in India today included 358 in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, and 101 in Karnataka.

They were followed by 68 deaths in Tamil Nadu, 63 in West Bengal, 45 in Uttar Pradesh, 42 in Andhra Pradesh, 37 in Delhi, 29 each in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, 24 each in Chhattisgarh and Kerala, 20 in Haryana, 16 in Odisha, 15 in Rajasthan, 14 in Uttarakhand, nine each in Assam and Jammu & Kashmir, eight in Jharkhand, seven each in Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Tripura, five in Puducherry, four in Chandigarh, three in Manipur, two each in Bihar and Sikkim, and one each in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Arunachal Pradesh.

No new deaths were reported today from Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Of the total of 106,490 deaths so far in India, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number at 39,430, followed by 10,052 in Tamil Nadu, 9,675 in Karnataka, 6,245 in Uttar Pradesh, 6,128 in Andhra Pradesh, 5,653 in national capital Delhi, 5,439 in West Bengal, 3,741 in Punjab, 3,538 in Gujarat, 2,547 in Madhya Pradesh, 1,605 in Rajasthan, 1,548 in Haryana, 1,291 in Jammu & Kashmir, 1,208 in Telangana, 1,158 in Chhattisgarh, 974 in Odisha, 930 in Kerala, 929 in Bihar, 794 in Assam 775 in Jharkhand, 702 in Uttarakhand, 556 in Puducherry, 484 in Goa, 311 in Tripura, 238 in Himachal Pradesh, 186 in Chandigarh, 83 in Manipur, 63 in Ladakh, 60 in Meghalaya, 55 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 51 in Sikkim, 22 in Arunachal Pradesh, 17 in Nagaland, and two in Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Mizoram has not reported any COVID deaths so far while Lakshadweep Islands have not reported any cases of infection until now.

The total of 6,906,151 cases in India so far include the 106,490 patients who have died as well as the 5,906,069 patients who have recovered, which means that the number of active cases in the country stood at 893,592 as of this morning, down 8,833 from yesterday.

The number of patients who have recovered has increased by 78,365 since yesterday and the recovery rate has risen to 85.51%, according to the data.

Of the total of 70,496 new cases of infection reported in the country today, Maharashtra accounted for 13,395, followed by 10,704 in Karnataka, 5,445 in Kerala, 5,292 in Andhra Pradesh, 5,088 in Tamil Nadu, 3,526 in West Bengal, 3,144 in Odisha and 3,133 in Uttar Pradesh.

Other states have reported less than 3,000 new cases each in the past 24 hours.

As far as total number of cases so far is concerned, Maharashtra tops the list with 1,493,884, followed by 739,719 in Andhra Pradesh, 679,356 in Karnataka, 640,943 in Tamil Nadu, 427,459 in Uttar Pradesh, 300,833 in Delhi, 284,030 in West Bengal, 258,850 in Kerala, 244,142 in Odisha, and 208,535 in Telangana -- the ten most affected states.

NNN