India reports 986 more COVID-19 deaths, 72,049 fresh cases of infection

New Delhi, October 7, 2020

India today reported 986 more deaths due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and 72,049 fresh cases of infection -- significantly higher than yesterday -- as the deadly disease continued to cause concern in many parts of the country.

With these, the death toll so far due to the disease has increased to 104,555 while the total number of cases of infection has risen to 6,757,131 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 5,744,693 as of this morning.

The number of active cases has gone down further by 11,140 since yesterday to 907,883.

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 884 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 61,267 new cases yesterday.

This is the third consecutive day and the fifth time in nine days that the country has reported less than 1,000 deaths in a single day. It is also the fourth consecutive day and the sixth time in nine 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 27 days. It has registered more than 1,100 deaths on 18 of the last 30 days and a thousand-plus deaths for 31 of the last 37 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 32 days and more than 80,000 cases for 27 of the last 35 days. It has reported more than 75,000 cases on 37 of the last 42 days, more than 60,000 cases on 56 of the last 57 days and more than 50,000 new cases for the 69th consecutive day today.

The world has reported a total of more than 35.731 million cases of COVID-19 so far while the global death toll has increased to 1,048,714 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 7.499 million cases) and ahead of Brazil (more than 4.969 million cases).

In terms of the number of deaths, the country ranks third after the US (210,874) and Brazil (147,494).

Figures released this morning by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare showed that the 986 new deaths reported in India today included 370 in Maharashtra, the worst-hit state.

It was followed by 91 deaths in Karnataka, 71 in Tamil Nadu, 63 in West Bengal, 61 in Uttar Pradesh, 39 in Delhi, 38 in Punjab, 33 in Andhra Pradesh, 25 each in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, 23 in Chhattisgarh, 18 each in Assam and Haryana, 16 each in Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha, 15 in Rajasthan, ten each in Gujarat and Jharkhand, eight each in Goa, Telangana and Uttarakhand, five in Himachal Pradesh, three each in Chandigarh, Manipur, Puducherry and Sikkim, and one each in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar and Meghalaya,

No new deaths were reported today from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Nagaland and Tripura.

Of the total of 104,555 deaths so far in India, Maharashtra accounts for the highest number at 38,717, followed by 9,917 in Tamil Nadu, 9,461 in Karnataka, 6,153 in Uttar Pradesh, 6,052 in Andhra Pradesh, 5,581 in national capital Delhi, 5,318 in West Bengal, 3,679 in Punjab, 3,519 in Gujarat, 2,488 in Madhya Pradesh, 1,574 in Rajasthan, 1,509 in Haryana, 1,268 in Jammu & Kashmir, 1,189 in Telangana, 1,104 in Chhattisgarh, 940 in Odisha, 925 in Bihar, 884 in Kerala, 778 in Assam 757 in Jharkhand, 677 in Uttarakhand, 546 in Puducherry, 468 in Goa, 301 in Tripura, 229 in Himachal Pradesh, 180 in Chandigarh, 78 in Manipur, 61 in Ladakh, 60 in Meghalaya, 54 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 49 in Sikkim, 20 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 6,757,131 cases in India so far include the 104,555 patients who have died as well as the 5,744,693 patients who have recovered, which means that the number of active cases in the country stood at 907,883 as of this morning, down 11,140 from yesterday.

The number of patients who have recovered has increased by 72,049 since yesterday and the recovery rate has risen to 85.01%, according to the data.

Of the total of 72,049 new cases of infection reported in the country today, Maharashtra accounted for 12,258, followed by 9,993 in Karnataka, 7,871 in Kerala, 5,795 in Andhra Pradesh, 5,017 in Tamil Nadu, 3,500 in Uttar Pradesh and 3,370 in West Bengal.

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 1,465,911, followed by 729,307 in Andhra Pradesh, 657,705 in Karnataka, 630,408 in Tamil Nadu, 420,937 in Uttar Pradesh 295,236 in Delhi, 277,049 in West Bengal, 242,799 in Kerala, 238,003 in Odisha, and 204,748 in Telangana -- the ten most affected states.

NNN