India’s daily COVID cases hit two-month high

India is witnessing a worrying spike in the rate of COVID-19 infection across the country with the number hitting 22,854 in the past 24 hours – a two-month high and 27% higher than the previous day’s figure of 17,921. The last time such a peak was reached was on December 26 with 22,273. Yesterday’s government data registered up to 126 deaths in a day. Overall, India has now recorded 1,12,85,561 cases since the outbreak a year ago, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated today.
The worst-hit five states, according to the latest government updates, were Maharashtra (13,659), Kerala (2,475), Punjab (1,393), Karnataka (760), and Gujarat (675). The situation in Maharashtra, which has consistently topped the ranking over the past year, has been under scrutiny for a while with several districts imposing partial lockdowns or night curfews.

The Centre had said earlier this week that eight states and Union territories – Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Haryana – had been displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases, with a weekly positivity rate higher than the national average of 2.29 per cent. High-level Central teams have been deputed to these states, besides Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Jammu and Kashmir, to help them with the situation.