India's active COVID-19 caseload drops below 8 lakh after one-and-half months

India's active COVID-19 caseload fell below eight lakh for the first time in one-and-a-half months and account for merely 10.70 percent of the total cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. There are 7,95,087 active cases of coronavirus infection as of date.

The active caseload was below the 8 lakh mark (7,85,996) last on September 1, the ministry said. "With a high number of COVID-19 patients recovering every day, India's steady trend of registering dipping active cases continues," it underlined.

The total recoveries have surged to 65,24,595 and exceed active infections by 57,29,508. A total of 70,816 patients have recovered and discharged in a span of 24 hours whereas 62,212 new COVID-19 cases were reported during the same period, according to data updated by the ministry at 8 am.

The national recovery rate has further risen to 87.78 percent. Enhanced countrywide medical infrastructure, implementation of the Centre's standard treatment protocol by states and union territories, and total dedication and commitment of doctors, paramedics, and frontline workers have led to a persistent increase in the number of total recoveries with a commensurate dip in the fatality rate, the ministry underscored.

"India is the only country with the highest recoveries and continues to have one of the lowest fatality rates globally. The case fatality rate as of date stands at 1.52 percent. These have in tandem resulted in the consistent slide in the active cases," the ministry highlighted. It said that 78 percent of the new recovered cases are observed to be concentrated in 10 states and UTs -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

Seventy-nine percent of the 62,212 new cases of COVID-19 recorded in a span of 24 hours are from 10 States and UTs -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, the ministry said. Maharashtra is still reporting a very high number of new cases with more than 11,000 infections, followed by Karnataka and Kerala with more than 7,000 cases each, it stated.

A total of 837 case fatalities have been reported in a span of 24 hours. Of these, nearly 82 percent are concentrated in 10 states and UTs -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala. Maharashtra has reported the maximum single-day deaths (306 deaths).

Maharashtra contributes more than 13,000 to the single-day recoveries, followed by Karnataka with more than 8,000 recoveries. The Centre continues to support the state and UT governments in the collective fight against the global pandemic. The Ministry of Health has deputed high-level central teams to Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal as these states have been reporting a surge in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the recent days.

The teams will support the state efforts towards strengthening containment, surveillance, testing, infection prevention and control measures, and efficient clinical management of the positive cases. The central teams shall also guide in effectively managing the challenges related to timely diagnosis and follow up.