Coronavirus India Updates: Tally Crosses 29 Lakh As Fresh Cases Spike

The Covid-19 infection rate shows no signs of abating as the highly contagious pathogen spreads rapidly in the world’s second-most populous nation after it eased containment measures to revive the economy.

India added nearly 69,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 29 lakh in the Asia's third-largest economy, according to the Health Ministry’s update as of 8:00 am on Aug. 21. This includes nearly 55,000 deaths and over 21.5 lakh patients who have recovered.

The world's third-worst infected nation has more than 6.9 lakh active cases—a curve that seems to be flattening.

Key figures:

• Total number of confirmed coronavirus cases: 29,05,823
• Active cases: 6,92,028
• Cured/discharged/migrated: 21,58,946
• Deaths: 54,849
• Fresh cases in 24 hours: 68,898
• One-day recoveries: 62,282
• One-day deaths: 983

Fresh infections, although still very high, dropped marginally from Thursday’s record of 69,652 cases.

The Health Ministry has lauded the government’s efforts in fighting the virus, often highlighting that India has managed to reduce its fatality rate and increase its recovery rate.

India's recovery rate now stands at 74%, while the mortality rate is less than 2% despite reporting the fourth highest deaths in the world.

Global Update

A flareup of cases in Japan may be peaking, a government adviser said. South Korea’s latest wave of infections has spread almost nationwide. Argentina reported record daily cases.

In the U.S., the outbreak in southern states is slowing and deaths should start to fall next week, said the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer Inc.’s vaccine is on track for a regulatory review as soon as October and 1.3 billion doses could be produced by the end of 2021.

Italy reported the most new cases since mid-May and infections in England rose by more than a quarter in a week.

Globally, cases exceed 22.5 million with over 790,000 dead.

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