Centre releases list of top 20 states with highest Covid-19 cases

Covid-19 situation in India: Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal feature in the list of top 20 states and union territories that have reported the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.

The central government on Thursday ranked states/union territories in India on the basis of confirmed coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases that have been reported. The list was released by the Union ministry of information and broadcasting via its #IndiaFightsCoronahandle on Twitter. It features Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and several other prominent states and union territories in the top 20 states that have reported the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases.

NGO activists wear PPE kit demonstrates against flouting norms of Covid-19 rules during the election, in Kolkata on Wednesday. West Bengal, where legislative assembly elections are ongoing, is among the eight states with more than five lakh confirmed Covid-19 cases. (ANI)

As per the central government, the 20 states and union territories with the highest number of Covid-19 cases, as of 8am on Thursday, are as follows:

1 . Maharashtra

2 . Kerala

3 . Karnataka

4 . Tamil Nadu

5 . Andhra Pradesh

6 . Delhi

7 . Uttar Pradesh

8 . West Bengal

9 . Chhattisgarh

10 . Rajasthan

11 . Gujarat

12 . Madhya Pradesh

13 . Odisha

14 . Telangana

15 . Haryana

16 . Bihar

17 . Punjab

18 . Assam

19 . Jharkhand

20 . Jammu and Kashmir

The central government listed states/UTs in an order that ranks them as per the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases that have been reported. It was seen that there are eight states with more than five lakh confirmed Covid-19 cases. These, in descending order, are -- Maharashtra (35,78,160 cases), Kerala (11,89,175 cases), Karnataka (10,94,912 cases), Tamil Nadu (9,54,948 cases), Andhra Pradesh (9,37,049 cases), Delhi (7,67,438 cases), Uttar Pradesh (7,44,021 cases), and West Bengal (6,30,116 cases).

Meanwhile, India reported over 2 lakh coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases on Thursday, the highest single-day spike so far since the pandemic broke out. With over 2,00,739 cases recorded in the last 24 hours, the health ministry data shows that India's single-day spike went from 1 lakh over to over 2 lakh in just 10 days. The record surge in cases in a little more than a week comes in the backdrop of the deadlier second wave of Covid-19 that the country is now struggling with.

India's cumulative Covid-19 case tally has now crossed the 14 million mark. The death toll, too, rose to 173,123 with more than 1,000 new fatalities recorded for the second in a row. According to the central government, India's cumulative vaccine coverage has crossed 11.43 crores, with 11,43,18,455 vaccine doses administered nationwide till 8pm on Wednesday.