More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: India became the world’s 17th country to record 20,000 Covid-19 cases, crossing the grim milestone on a day when Maharashtra , Rajasthan and West Bengal recorded their biggest single-day rise in infections. There was a spike in deaths as well, with 49 on Tuesday, taking the toll to 645.The total number of cases stood at 20,083 late on Tuesday, as per reports from states, having risen by 1,493 during the day — the second highest daily rise after Sunday’s spike of 1,613 cases. Over a third of the new cases came from Maharashtra. At 552, the state equalled its own record of fresh cases set on Sunday. Mumbai alone reported 419 cases and 12 deaths.Rajasthan (159) and West Bengal (53) also saw the sharpest spike for the respective states even as the infection maintained its surge in Gujarat, where 239 more people tested positive.Gujarat, which has emerged as the biggest Covid hotspot after Maharashtra, crossed the 2,000-mark in number of cases and overtook Delhi to claim the No.2 spot in the country. Compared to 35 days taken by Maharashtra and 45 by Delhi – only two other Indian states with more than 2,000 cases – Gujarat reach the grim milestone in 34 days. The total tally of cases in the state now stands at 2,178.On Tuesday, as many as 15 Covid-19 patients died in Ahmedabad city. Two deaths were reported in Surat and one each from Bhavnagar and Bharuch.Maharashtra’s count of coronavirus cases crossed 5,000. The state’s latest and fastest addition of 1,000 cases has come in just two days. Mumbai, which recorded its second highest single-day rise in cases with 419 new detections, mainly contributed to the state’s surge in cases. Over a lakh people in the state are now under home or institutional quarantine.The number of Covid-19 deaths in the country also soared to 640 with 45 deaths being reported from various states. Maharashtra and Gujarat recorded the maximum 19 deaths each, taking their respective tolls to 251 and 90.Delhi, which has been recording Covid-19 deaths daily since April 8, did not confirm any new death, although there were reports of a vegetable dealer at the Azadpur mandi having died of the virus. The number of new cases in the state was 75, taking its tally to 2,156. The number of persons who have recovered from Covid-19 in Delhi rose to 611 with 180 patients being discharged on Tuesday.Rajasthan, too, reported the highest number of cases of Covid-19 in a single day on Tuesday when 159 persons were found infected with the virus from different parts of the state. One person died in Jaipur, who was tested positive for Covid-19 taking the total toll in Jaipur to 14 and it was state’s 26th death.West Bengal, which has been mired in controversy over reporting of Covid-19 cases, recorded 53 new cases – its highest single day tally – taking the total number of Covid-19 cases in the state to 392.UP reported three fresh deaths, taking its toll to 22, while 106 new cases cropped up in the state. The total number of cases in UP now stands at 1,364, even as the state imposed more restrictions on movement of traffic at its Noida border citing import of new cases from Delhi.With 71 new cases reported in the state on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh’s corona count rose to 1,553 but a sharp downward slope in the curve over the past few days has helped it drop from third rank in the country to sixth. Bhopal accounted for 31 of Tuesday’s fresh cases, followed by Indore (18). Four deaths were also reported taking MP’s Covid-19 toll to 80.In Telangana, 56 fresh cases of Covid-19 were recorded taking the state tally to 928. In Andhra Pradesh, two more persons died due to the novel coronavirus, raising the toll to 22, even as 35 new Covid-19 cases were reported from the southern state.Bihar, for the second day in a row, recorded a double-digit spike with 13 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 126.