India’s Covid tally overtakes Spain, is now 5th worst-hit

■ Recovery rate falls marginally INDIA RECORDS a slight decline in recovery rate compared to Friday (48.27%). On Saturday, it was 48.20%.

In the biggest one-day spike so far, India on Saturday reported 9,887 new cases of novel coronavirus and 294 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours. Due to the exponential growth of Covid19 cases, India raced past Spain on Saturday to become the fifth worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic after a record spike in cases for four consecutive days pushed total infections to over 2,45,670, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.

In less than 24 hours, India surpassed Italy and then Spain to reach the grim milestone.

Now, only the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK are ahead of it.

Spain so far has recorded 2,41,310 cases, according to the university data.

As per the health ministry, India has till now reported 2,36,657 Covid-19 cases with 1,15, 842 cases still under active medical care while 1,14,072 people have recovered. However, there has been a slight decline in recovery rate noticed compared to Friday which was 48.27% while on Saturday it was 48.20%. So far 6,642 persons have died.

According to covid19india.org, there were 2,43,673 cases and 6843 deaths till Saturday evening while worldometres.info put the figures at 2,39,644 cases.

High number of cases and deaths continue to be reported from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi that put together have more than half of country’s total case load. In view of rising death numbers, Delhi government issued orders that no hospital should deny treatment to “suspect” Covid-19 patients and start treatment till their reports come. Indo Tibetan Border Police announced to open its hospitals throughout the country for its veterans for Covid-19 treatment.

The Delhi government, however, said that all asymptomatic patients and those having mild symptoms are to be discharged from hospitals within 24 hours of admission. The move comes in the wake of family members of several Covid-19 patients claiming denial of admission for patients at various hospitals.