Covid-19 Factoid: India's grim world record of most cases in a single day

India's single-day jump of 62,000 cases on August 6 was the highest number of cases added by any country on the same day

The global tally of confirmed coronavirus cases has now breached the 19-million mark. Of these, more than 6 million cases are currently active, while a little over 12 million have managed to recover from the infection. There have been 718,338 fatalities worldwide, half of which have been in just four countries – the US, Brazil, Mexico, and the UK.

In India, there now are over 2 million cases, of which 607,384 are active. The countries have so far seen 1,378,105 recoveries, while over 41,000 people have succumbed to the virus. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh continue to be the most affected states in the country.

Here are some data points mapping the spread of the virus:

#1. India sees another record single-day spike

Registering over 62,000 cases on August 6, India made a new record of highest number of cases in a single day. This was also the highest number of cases added by any country on the same day. This new grim milestone came after India recorded over 50,000 daily cases for nine days straight. The streak had begun on July 30, with a slight dip on August 4, before rising again.

#2. India is one of the fastest countries in terms of doubling of case tally

India, along with Colombia, is currently the fastest in doubling the case count, at just 21 days. It is followed by South Africa and Brazil. Russia, which had been on the third spot by the number of confirmed cases two months ago, has now slowed its doubling pace to 64 days. Similarly, Spain, one of the earlier epicentres of the pandemic, has one of the countries with slowest doubling rates, at over 100 days.

#3. No respite in sight for India’s most affected state, Maharashtra

Maharashtra made a fresh record for the highest single-day spike, at 11,514 cases registered in just 24 hours on August 6. This was also the second time that this metric crossed the 11,000 mark in Maharashtra. For most days in the past 30 days, daily new cases have largely stayed over 8,000. The state also has the country’s highest death toll, at over 16,000.