Covid-19 cases breach 12,000-mark in India, death toll at 414

Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest number of infections at 2,916. The death toll in the state reached 187.

The number of Covid-19 positive cases in India breached the 12,000-mark on Thursday morning, and the number of deaths reached 414.

People wait in a queue while maintaining social distance at entrance gate of the Azadpur Mandi, during lockdown against coronavirus in New Delhi on Wednesday. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The figure of 12,380 includes 10,477 active cases, 1,488 cured/discharged/migrated and 414 deaths, the Union Health Ministry said in the figures released at 8 am on its website.

Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest number of infections at 2,916. The death toll in the state reached 187.

Delhi has the second highest number of infections at 1,578, according to health ministry.

India carried out close to 27,000 Covid-19 tests on Wednesday and added 22 new labs in the last two days, ramping up efforts to speed up a process that is crucial to determine the extent of the outbreak but has suffered from long delays due to several bottlenecks.

The 26,351 samples processed on Wednesday, according to data released by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), represents a five-fold increase over the roughly 5,000 a day number at the beginning of the month. The total number of labs, including private ones, is now at 258.