India’s coronavirus infections pass 5.4 million

India’s tally of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) went past the 5.4 million mark and the country reported 4,303,043 recoveries so far, the Union health ministry’s data showed on Sunday. The number of active cases stood at 1,010,824 and the country’s death toll rose to 86,752, according to the health ministry’s coronavirus dashboard at 8am.  

Data showed India recorded 92,605 new infections and 1,333 patients died between Saturday and Sunday morning. There were 94,612 Covid-19 patients who recovered and were discharged between Saturday and Sunday morning. The recovery rate is now at 79.67%.  

India has overtaken the United States, the worst-hit country globally, and become the top nation in terms of Covid-19 recoveries. India now accounts for close to 19% of the total global recoveries, the government has said.  

The health ministry has said that 90% of the new recovered cases are being reported from 16 states and Union territories and about 60% are being reported from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.  

“Centre-led focussed, responsive & effective measures of early identification through high & aggressive testing, prompt surveillance & tracking coupled with standardised high-quality clinical care have together resulted in this global achievement,” it said.  

The health ministry said that 1.2 million tests were conducted on Saturday across the country, the highest number of samples tested in a day so far, and there have been more than 63.7 million so far. The country had conducted the first test for Covid-19 on January 23 at Pune’s National Institute of Virology in Pune.
Hindustan Times, 
20 Sept, 2020-