Coronavirus: India’s tally crosses 53 lakh with over 93,000 new cases in the last 24 hours

India’s coronavirus tally reached 53,08,014 on Saturday, after the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported a rise of 93,337 cases in the last 24 hours. The toll rose by 1,247 to 85,619.

India now has 10,13,964 active cases. More than 42 lakh people have recovered from the virus in India.

India’s recovery rate is currently 78.86%, which the government has said is one of the highest in the world. The mortality rate is 1.64%.

The Indian Council of Medical Research said 6,24, 54, 254 samples have been tested till September 18, including 8,81,911 tests conducted on Friday.

Maharashtra reported 21,656 infections in 24 hours, the highest among the states, taking its tally to 11,67,496. Andhra Pradesh had the second highest cases with 6,09,558, followed by Tamil Nadu with 5,30,908 infections and Karnataka with 5,02,982 cases. The most number of deaths have also been reported from Maharashtra with its toll at 31,791, followed by Tamil Nadu with 8,685 fatalities and Karnataka with 7,808 deaths.

More than 60% of active cases are currently concentrated in five states, the health ministry has said.

The number of daily infections has been on the rise for weeks, as the country has opened up further to abate an economic crisis triggered by the lockdown that was imposed in March. On Monday, both houses of Parliament convened amid strict guidelines. However, more than two dozen MPs tested positive for the virus Monday onwards, including multiple Union ministers.

European countries, including France and Spain, have prepared for new restrictions after the World Health Organization warned of “alarming rates of transmission”.

Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 3.03 crore people and killed 9,50,434, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of worldwide recoveries is more than 2.05 crore.