India reached another grim milestone with over 50,000 dead due to the Covid-19 infection, at a time the country is adding over a lakh new cases every two days.

India added over 57,000 new cases in a matter of 24 hours, taking the total tally to nearly 26.4 lakh, according to the health ministry’s update as of 8:00 am on Aug. 17. This includes nearly 51,000 deaths and more than 19 lakh patients who have recovered.

Compared to the countries with most deaths - U.S., Brazil, Mexico - India, which is on the fourth place, took the most amount of time to reach the milestone. The country took over 6 times the number of days it took the U.S. to reach 50,000 deaths.

Key figures:

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 26,47,663
• Active cases: 6,76,900
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 19,19,842
• Deaths: 50,921
• Fresh cases in 24 hours: 57,981
• One-day recoveries: 57,584
• One-day deaths: 941

India’s Covid-19 fatality rate has fallen to 1.93%, among the lowest globally, the health ministry said on Sunday. The recovery rate stands at nearly 72%. Aggresive testing, tracking and treatment have contributed to the high percentage of recoveries, it said.

New cases reported today, though still high, are the lowest in six days.

Global Update

Australia had its deadliest day, and the state of Victoria extended a state of emergency. U.S. fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the fifth consecutive day, though cases slowed. Italy and Spain told nightclubs to close. France’s public health agency warned that all of the country’s Covid-19 indicators are trending upward.

South Korea warned of another mass infection after reporting the highest number of cases since early March. China and Russia have plans to jointly conduct vaccine clinical trials, a top Chinese virus expert said.

Globally, the virus has now infected nearly 21.5 million people globally with the death toll at 773,900.

Track all Covid-19 related news and updates for India, here.