As many as 56,211 more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative caseload across the country to 1,20,95,855, said the Union health ministry on Tuesday.
This is a major decrease in the number of new infections, which was on an upward trajectory touching close to 70,000. India had reported 68,020 new Covid-19 cases on Monday.
Eight states -- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh -- accounted for 84.5% of the fresh infections in the 24 hours ending on Monday morning.
Among these, Maharashtra continues to be the biggest contributor to the daily tally. The state had 31,643 more people testing positive for Covid-19 in the 24 hours.
In addition to this, the death toll in the country has reached 1,62,114 with 271 more people succumbing to the disease in the same duration. The number of fatalities has seen a dip in the last 24 hours as well. The count rested at 291 on Monday and has crossed the 300-mark for the first time on Sunday.
As many as 37,028 recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,13,93,021.
As a result, the active cases in the country stand at 5,40,720. The active tally breached the five-lakh mark on Monday. The country had crossed over four lakh active cases on Friday, making this the fast one-lakh increase.
India's Covid-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh mark on 7 August, 30 lakh on 23 August, 40 lakh on 5 September and 50 lakh on 16 September. It went past 60 lakh on 28 September, 70 lakh on 11 October, crossed 80 lakh on 29 October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed the one-crore mark on 19 December.
Tests conducted so far
India has so far tested 24,26,50,025 samples for Covid-19, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on Tuesday.
Out of these, 7,85,864 were tested on Monday.
Vaccinations in India
The country has so far administered 6,11,13,354 Covid-19 vaccination shots.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January with healthcare workers getting inoculated and vaccination of the frontline workers started from 2 February.
The next phase of Covid-19 vaccination commenced on 1 March for those who are above 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified comorbid conditions.
Click here to read the Mint ePaperMint is now on Telegram. Join Mint channel in your Telegram and stay updated with the latest business news.