A health worker sorts samples for Covid-19 testing at Nehru Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital in New Delhi, Saturday, Oct 17, 2020. (Express photo by Amit Mehra)

Coronavirus India News Live Updates: India on Monday crossed 75 lakh Covid-19 cases, with 55,722 new infections and 579 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Union Health Ministry.

The country’s overall case tally touched 75,50,273, with 7,72,055 active cases, 66,63,608 recoveries and 1,14,610 deaths.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, a government-appointed committee of scientists said the coronavirus epidemic in India may have already peaked and, if the usage of masks and physical distancing measures continue at the current level, the disease will likely “run its course” by February next year.

The committee, headed by Prof M Vidyasagar of IIT Hyderabad, used a new model to map the trajectory of the epidemic in the country. Its key finding is that the disease seems to have peaked in the middle of September, when the number of active cases touched 10.17 lakh. This number has been declining steadily for the last one month, and the committee suggested that the active cases, even if they rise in the coming months due to festivals or cold weather, were unlikely to surpass the figure reached last month.

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India Covid-19 tally crosses 75 lakh-mark, with over 55, 722 new cases and 579 deaths in the last 24 hours. Follow this space for the latest updates

10:41 (IST)19 Oct 2020

National recovery rate improves to 88.26 per cent: Health Ministry

The Union Health Ministry Monday said that the national recovery rate has improved to 88.26 per cent while the case fatality rate stands at 1.52 per cent, reported PTI.

There are 7,72,055 active Covid-19 cases at present, comprising 10.23 per cent of the total caseload, data from the health ministry stated.

Coronavirus India Live Updates: Ramleela artists of Sector 17 ride bicycles to spread awareness to wear masks onthe road towards Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh on Sunday. (Express photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

The reasons for the continuous decline in coronavirus infection numbers since last month have not been clear. The numbers have fallen sharply – even though travel restrictions have eased, economic and other activities have resumed and, to a large extent, normalcy has returned.

There has also been no reduction in the number of tests, nor has the disease prevalence in the population reached a stage where ‘herd immunity’ would have to be factored in. The use of face masks, and physical distancing are far from being universal.

The government-appointed scientific committee has not spelt out the possible reasons for the decline in coronavirus numbers. But two of its members offered insights into what could be happening.

“A recent case study of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu published in the journal Science a few weeks ago showed that almost 70 per cent of infected people were not passing the disease to others. The virus was spreading only through a small set of people who are referred to as super-spreaders,” Prof Manindra Agrawal, a member of the committee, told The Indian Express.

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Coronavirus India Live Updates: India case tally crosses 75 lakh

Coronavirus (Covid-19) India Live News Updates: The country's total case tally touched 75,50,273, with 7,72,055 active cases, 66,63,608 recoveries and 1,14,610 deaths.

India Covid-19 tally crosses 75 lakh-mark, with over 55, 722 new cases and 579 deaths in the last 24 hours. Follow this space for the latest updates