India registers 2,63,533 new coronavirus cases, record 4,329 deaths in 24 hours
The single day-rise of 2.63 lakh new cases, the lowest in 28 days, took the tally to 2,52,28,996 while the COVID-19 toll climbed to 2,78,719

A heath worker in protective suit takes nasal swab sample of a man to test for COVID-19 in a residential area in Gauhati, Assam on 17 May. AP
New Delhi: India's COVID-19 toll climbed to 2,78,719 with a record 4,329 fresh fatalities, while the single-day rise in coronavirus
cases stood at 2.63 lakh, the lowest in 28 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.
The country reported a total of 2,63,533 new cases in a span of 24 hours, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 2,52,28,996, the data updated at 8 am showed.
A total of 2,59,170 cases were reported in a span of 24 hours on 20 April.
The active cases further reduced to 33,53,765 comprising 13.29 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 85.60 percent, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,15,96,512, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.10 percent, the data stated.
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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 29October, 90 lakh on 20 November and surpassed the one-crore mark on 19 December. India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on 4 May.
According to the ICMR, 31,82,92,881 samples have been tested up to 17 May with 18,69,223 samples being tested on Monday.
The 4,329 new fatalities include 1,000 from Maharashtra, 476 from Karnataka, 340 from Delhi, 335 from Tamil Nadu, 271 from Uttar Pradesh, 223 from Uttarakhand, 191 from Punjab, 157 from Rajasthan, 149 from Chhattisgarh, 147 from West Bengal, 114 from Haryana and 109 from Andhra Pradesh.
A total of 2,78,719 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 82,486 from Maharashtra, 22,313 from Karnataka, 21,846 from Delhi, 18,005 from Tamil Nadu, 17,817 from Uttar Pradesh, 13,431 from West Bengal, 12,086 from Punjab and 11,883 from Chhattisgarh.
The health ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
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