The COVID-19 tally in Indore, the hardest-hit city in Madhya Pradesh, crossed 1,000 late on April 23 after 84 fresh cases were detected.

So far, the city has recorded 1,029 cases and 55 deaths. As many as 77, or 7.5% of the patients, had recovered from the illness, said Pravin Jadia, Indore Chief Medical and Health Officer.

Although the case growth rate in the city has declined in the past few days, April 23 saw a revived surge after April 16, when 244 cases were detected in a day with a backlog of test reports pouring in.

Indore authorities are still scrambling to locate the local source of the outbreak, which had racked congested clusters a month ago, but is now spreading to newer areas. More than half the cases are asymptomatic, and those detected initially had no contact history. No person with an international travel history has been found to be infected.

By testing rigorously, Indore has lowered its case fatality rate, which had shot past 10% to become the highest in the country. But the west Madhya Pradesh region stares at other emerging hotspots now.

According to the State Health bulletin of April 23, Ujjain had reported seven of the 41 patients, or 17% of all cases, had succumbed to the illness. The toll is the same as Bhopal’s, the capital city having four times its population. In other neighbouring districts of Indore, five patients have died in Khargone and six in Dewas. The State has recorded 85 deaths and 1,771 cases so far.