India reported its biggest spike in COVID-19 as it added 7,466 new patients on Friday taking the total cases to 1,65,799 putting it in the ninth spot among nations worst hit by the infectious disease.
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The death toll due to COVID-19 also rose by 175 in a single day taking the total fatalities to 4,706, surpassing China which has reported 4,638 deaths due to the disease.
The number of active COVID-19 patients stood at 89,987, while 71,106 – or 42.88% of the total confirmed cases – had recovered and discharged from hospitals.
A separate DH COVID-19 Tracker put the total confirmed cases at 1,72,144 and the deaths at 4,949 at 8:30 p.m. on Friday. The total cases in India are now more than double that of China (84,106), where the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported.
Maharashtra continued to be the worst-hit state in the country with 62,228 confirmed cases, with a single day increase of 2,598. Delhi and Tamil Nadu also registered sharp spikes of 1,024 and 827 cases respectively. Tamil Nadu now ranks second in the country with 19,372 cases followed by Delhi (16,281) and Gujarat (15,562).
Of the 175 deaths reported till Friday morning, 85 were in Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat (22), Uttar Pradesh (15), Delhi (13), Tamil Nadu (12), Madhya Pradesh (8), Rajasthan (7), West Bengal (6), Telangana (4) and one each in J&K, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana.
The US, at over 17 lakh, has the maximum number of COVID-19 cases followed by Brazil, Russia, Spain, UK, Italy, France, Germany and India. Turkey is now ranked 10th, China at 15th place and below Iran, Peru, Canada and Chile.
The Health Ministry has stepped up efforts to convey the message of good hygiene by releasing a rap video to discourage people from spitting in public places.
India is currently in the fourth phase of lockdown which is scheduled to end on May 31. The Health Ministry said that cases increased sharply after the lockdown was extended on May 17 with significant relaxations of travel.