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Over 131,000 new Covid cases logged in India, active cases near 1 million again
The number of cases recorded on Thursday was a sharp increase from the 126,260 new infections reported even a day earlier, and represents a surge that has been steadily growing for nearly two months now.
India on Thursday reported 131,830 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the third day in a row that the country has set yet another record for single-day infections, as the second wave of the viral outbreak continued a relentless expansion far beyond anything seen during the previous wave of the disease.
The number of cases recorded on Thursday was a sharp increase from the 126,260 new infections reported even a day earlier, and represents a surge that has been steadily growing for nearly two months now. Deaths also continued to rise, with 802 new fatalities reported in a span of 24 hours, according to HT’s dashboard.
The seven-day average of cases across India has touched 107,963, the highest for any country in the world currently, and has comfortably surpassed the first wave in the country when this number peaked at 96,317 for the week ending September 16.
Daily infections, which surpassed 100,000 for the first time this Monday, have now exceeded that mark four times in the past five days. The spike, much faster than last year’s first wave, has caught the authorities by surprise. The government blames the resurgence mainly on crowding and a reluctance to wear masks as shops and offices have reopened.
Meanwhile, in yet another alarming trend, the number of active cases in the country is again nearing the million mark. After Thursday’s tally, there are 979,384 active cases in the country. Active cases – those Covid-19 patients still under treatment – is a crucial metric because it directly reflects the pressure on the health care system for any region. It is calculated by subtracting the number of recovered patients and deaths from the total tally. During the peak of the first wave, the number of active cases in India crossed the million-mark in September, but started dropping since. This receding trend, however, reversed in February with the start of India’s second Covid wave.
At least 10 states – Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab – have shown a massive rise in the daily Covid-19 cases from the middle of February, according to data. There were 56,286 new infections in Maharashtra, which continued to dominate the national figures, accounting for 43% of all infections reported in the country on Thursday. It is followed by Chhattisgarh with 10,652 while Uttar Pradesh reported 8,474 new cases. Delhi was on the fourth spot with 7,437 new cases on Thursday.
