With 56,282 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours, India's tally nears 2 mn mark

India saw a single-day increase of 56,282 cases taking the country's Covid-19 tally to 19,64,536 on Thursday, while the recoveries have surged to 13,28,336 and comprise 67.62 per cent of the total caseload, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The death toll due to Covid-19 climbed to 40,699 with 904 new fatalities being reported in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

There are 5,95,501 active Covid-19 cases in the country presently which contribute 30.31 per cent of the total cases.

The fatality rate has further dropped to 2.07 per cent, the data stated.

This is the eighth consecutive day that Covid-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 2,21,49,351 samples have been tested up to August 5 with 6,64,949 samples being tested on Wednesday.