The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed 2 lakh on Wednesday morning after 8,909 people tested positive for the infection in 24 hours, according to data from the Union health ministry. This is the biggest single-day increase in the number of cases. The country’s tally rose to 2,07,615 and the toll reached 5,815 with 217 new deaths.

The tally in Maharashtra, India’s worst-affected state, reached 72,300. The state’s toll stood at 2,465. Tamil Nadu has reported 24,586 coronavirus cases and 197 deaths so far. The number of coronavirus cases in Delhi rose to 22,132 after 1,298 cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The toll stood at 556.

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The number of coronavirus cases in Gujarat, India’s fourth most affected state, reached 17,617. The state’s toll stood at 1,092. Rajasthan has reported 9,373 cases and 203 deaths so far.

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Across the country, 1,00,303 people have recovered from the highly-contagious disease. At a press briefing on Tuesday, the health ministry had put India’s recovery rate at 48.07%. The health ministry had added that the country’s fatality rate was 2.82%, one of the lowest among coronavirus-hit countries.

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The Indian Council of Medical Research, the organisation at the centre of India’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, had however said on Tuesday that the country was far from the peak of the pandemic. India is now the seventh most-affected country in the world, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

The sharp increase in coronavirus numbers is worrying since India is now emerging from weeks of shutdown with ‘Unlock 1’. All means of transportation, except metro services and international flights, have opened up. Inter-state movement has also been permitted. From June 8, malls, restaurants and religious places will also be allowed to open.

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