Coronavirus crisis: India sees biggest spike of 9,887 new cases, 331 deaths; tally rises to 2.66 lakh

India on Tuesday reported the highest single-day spike of 9,987 new COVID-19 cases and 331 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the country is now at 2,66,598, including 1,29,917 active cases, 1,29,215 cured/discharged/migrated and 7,466 deaths, the latest Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data suggests.  The country has seen over 9,000 coronavirus cases for six consecutive days now.

A total of 49,16,116 samples have been tested, of which 1,41,682 samples have been tested in the past 24 hours, the Indian Council of Medical Research has said. With a consistent rise in coronavirus cases, India jumped two places in the global tally in a single day, surpassing Italy and Spain to become the fifth most affected country in the world.

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In India, Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Rajasthan are the six states where COVID-19 cases have crossed 10,000 mark.

Delhi's active cases stand at 17,712, including 11,357 recoveries and 874 deaths. The total tally in the state stands at 29,943. Gujarat has reported 20,545 cases, including 5,309 active ones, 13,956 recoveries and 1,280 deaths.

Maharashtra, which is the most-affected state, has reported 88,528 cases, including 44,384 active and 40,975 recoveries. A total of 3,169 people have died in the state so far.

In Tamil Nadu, 33,229 people have been affected by COVID-19 so far, including 15,416 active patients, 17,527 recoveries and 286 deaths.

Uttar Pradesh's case tally stands at 10,947, including 4,320 active cases, 6,344 recoveries and 283 deaths.

Though 1,29,215 patients have recovered in India so far, new hotspot areas are emerging, thus causing worry for the government. As per Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, India's 64 per cent of COVID-19 cases are coming from 15 districts, with Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai topping the chart.

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