India records highest single day jump of 9,304 coronavirus cases

India recorded the highest single day jump of 9,304 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 260 deaths as of Thursday morning taking the total tally to over 217,000 cases and 6,075 deaths. 

India has seen a jump of over 1,000 deaths in less than a week. While it took India more than three and a half months to reach 100,000 cases since its first Covid-19 patient, the increase from a 100,000 to 200,000 cases came in around two weeks as the pandemic continues unabated in India. 

India is seventh among the countries worst hit by the Covid-19 pandemic after the US, Brazil, Russia, the UK, Spain and Italy. 

The number of active cases stood at 1,06,737.  Nearly half of the total coronavirus positive patients - 1,04,106 have recovered, according to health ministry data. “During the last 24 hours, a total of 3,804 Covid-19 patients have been cured,” a health ministry statement said. 

The recovery rate has declined very slightly from over 48 per cent to 47.99 per cent due to the growing number of cases.  

The highest number of confirmed cases was reported from Maharashtra at 74,860, followed by Tamil Nadu at 25,872, Delhi at 23,645, and Gujarat at 18,100. 

Maharashtra had reported the maximum of 2,587 fatalities till Thursday morning, followed by Gujarat with 1,122 deaths. 

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data, more than 130,000 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours taking the total number of tests conducted in the country to 42,42,718 as of Thursday. 

The number of government labs has been increased to 498 and private labs to 212. A recent study conducted by the healthcare federation of India (Nathealth), an association of leading private hospitals, diagnostic laboratories and medical technology companies, found that private testing capacity is underutilised in the country. 

The current testing capacity in India stands at 150,000-170,000 tests per day with the public sector capacity at 110,000 tests per day and private sector capacity at 60,000 tests per day, the study said.