The active coronavirus cases in India dropped below the 8-lakh mark for the first time in over one month, the Health Ministry said on October 17.
The country’s COVID tally surged to 74.3 lakh after 62,212 fresh cases of coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours. The total number of active cases dropped to 7.95 lakh today as 70,816 patients recovered from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. According to government data, the active caseload is now only 10.70 per cent of the tally. ‘This significant achievement is the outcome of central government-led targeted strategies leading to high number of recoveries and steadily falling number of fatalities,’ the Health Ministry has said.The daily surge in India has come down from 80,000-90,000 fresh daily cases in mid-September to about 70,000 in the past week. About 65.2 lakh patients have recovered from COVID-19 so far and 1,12,998 succumbed to the deadly virus; of which 837 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.The country’s average recovery rate is 87.8 per cent and death rate stands at 1.5 per cent.Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal have been reporting a steady rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases.The average positivity rate stood at 6 per cent as almost 10 lakh tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. A total of 9.3 crore tests have been done in India since the pandemic’s outbreak at the beginning of this year.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged for continued vigilance and preparedness against coronavirus as experts have warned of a possible rise in infections in the winter months. According to government data, 79 per cent fresh cases, 78 per cent recoveries and 82 per cent deaths were concentrated in some states and union territories.
