India crosses 19 lakh mark

With 52,509 new coronavirus cases and 857 deaths in the last 24 hours, India crossed the 19-lakh mark on August 5.

The total number of cases now stands at 19,08,254 while the total fatalities increased to 39,795, revealed data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Currently, 5,86,244 cases are active and 12,82,215 people have recovered from the diseases.
India has one of the lowest Case Fatality Rate ( CFR) at 2.08 percent as compared to the global average.

A total of 51,706 people were discharged in the last 24 hours, the Ministry said, thus the recovery rate stands at 67.19 percent.

In the last 24 hours, 6,19,652 samples have been tested.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with 4,50,196 cases and 15,842 deaths. Tamil Nadu comes in second place with 2,63,222 cases and 4,241 deaths.

Delhi, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh saw a decline in the number of active cases. Mizoram, Tripura and Uttarakhand too witnessed active cases plummeting.

Union Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said 50 districts account for 66 percent of the total caseload.

The health secretary said that the coronavirus infection has spread to new areas in the country, but 82 percent of the total cases are still limited to 10 states and Union Territories.

About 68 percent of covid-19 deaths were reported among male patients and 32 percent among female patients in India.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres also said the coronavirus pandemic has led to the largest disruption of education in history, with schools closed in more than 160 countries in mid-July affecting more than 1 billion students.