68.7k fresh cases take tally near 3mn

NEW DELHI : India on Thursday reported a spike in new cases, with close to 70,000 (68,797 to be exact) coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positives taking the total number of cases to close to 3 million (29,02,178).

Maharashtra continued to top the list of states with higher case load, as it saw a jump of 14,647 cases, which is the highest in weeks. Andhra Pradesh has been a close second with 9393 new cases, followed by Karnataka with 7,385 cases.

Of the 981 deaths reported from across the country in the corresponding period, maximum deaths were also reported from Maharashtra (326), followed by Tamil Nadu (116) and Karnataka (102).

On the positive side, more patients are recovering, and being discharged from hospital and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), with India’s total Covid-19 recoveries having reached nearly 2.1million (2,154,879) as on Thursday, of which new recoveries are 61,221.

According to the Union health ministry, improved recoveries have been made possible because of effective implementation of the policy of testing aggressively, tracking comprehensively and treating efficiently.

“Focus on standard of care protocol including use of non-invasive oxygen, better skilled doctors in the Intensive Care Units and hospitals, and improved ambulance services has culminated in yielding the desired results,” health ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

India’s recovery rate amongst the Covid-19 patients has reached nearly 74% (73.91%) reflecting that the number of patients recovering is on a steady rise over the past several months.

“This is a good sign that people are getting better and our mortality is low. Most positive cases do not require hospitalisation, and those needing intensive care is actually a minuscule number.

“Most people in hospitals have moderate disease with good chances of recovery,” says Dr Rommel Tickoo, senior consultant, department of internal medicine, Max Healthcare.

The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the country in terms of the active cases, has reduced and currently comprises only 24.19% of the total positive cases since the first case was diagnosed on January 30, 2020.