Covid-19: 74% new cases, 83% of deaths from 10 states/UTs, says govt

At least 10 states including Union Territories (UTs) are reporting 74 per cent of newer confirmed COVID-19 cases and 83 per cent of the deaths in the last 24 hours due to coronavirus infection, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

"A total of 83,347 new cases (active cases) have been reported in the last 24 hours in the country. About 74 per cent of the new confirmed cases are concentrated in 10 states/UTs," the ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, in the last 24 hours, Maharashtra has alone contributed to about 18,390 new cases, while Andhra Pradesh has reported at least 7,553 cases. Karnataka has contributed to 6,974 cases, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed 5,650 cases, Tamil Nadu has reported 5,337 cases, Odisha is contributing to 4,189 cases, Kerala has seen 4,125 cases, while Delhi has reported 3,816 cases. West Bengal has witnessed about 3,182 cases and Chhattisgarh has reported 2,736 cases.

"About 1,085 deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours and 10 states/UTs account for 83 per cent of the deaths in the last 24 hours due to COVID. Maharashtra reported 392 deaths followed by Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh with 83 and 77 deaths, respectively. West Bengal has reported 62 fatality, Tamil Nadu has witnessed 76 deaths, Andhra Pradesh has seen 51 mortality, Punjab has reported 66 deaths, Delhi has witnessed 37 fatality followed by Haryana which has registered 29 deaths while 28 people have succumbed in Chhattisgarh due to the virus in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

The Union Health Ministry also informed at least 14 states/UTs have demonstrated better COVID-19 response strategy with higher Tests Per Million (TPM) and commensurate lower positivity rate than the national average.

According to the official data, India's national cumulative positivity rate is 8.52 per cent and the TPM stands at 48,028 on Wednesday.

India's testing capacity has surged to more than 12 lakh daily tests. More than 6.6 crore total tests have been conducted across the country so far.

"Nearly 14 states/UTs have demonstrated better COVID response with higher Tests Per Million (TPM) and commensurate lower Positivity Rate than the national average. These include-- Mizoram, Manipur, Daman and Diu and Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Sikkim, Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Odisha, Assam, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Andaman and Nicobar Islands," the ministry said.