India's Covid caseload goes past 81L with 48,648 fresh infections

New Delhi: With 48,648 fresh COVID-19 infections, India's caseload rose to 81,37,119 on Saturday, while the number of recoveries crossed the 74-lakh mark, pushing the recovery rate to 91.34 per cent, according to the Union Health ministry data.

The country's Covid death toll climbed to 1,21,641 with 551 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

A total of 74,32,829 people have recuperated from COVID-19 so far, taking the national recovery rate to 91.34 per cent. The case fatality rate has dropped to 1.49 per cent.

The number of active COVID-19 cases remained below 6 lakh for the second consecutive day.

There are 5,82,649 active cases of Coronavirus infection in the country, which comprise 7.16 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's Covid tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5.

It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11 and crossed 80 lakh on October 29.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, a total of 10,87,96,064 samples had been tested for COVID-19 till October 30. Of these, 10,67,976 samples were tested on Friday.

The 551 new fatalities include 127 from Maharashtra, 59 from West Bengal, 49 each from Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, 47 from Delhi and 38 from Tamil Nadu.

Of the total 1,21,641 deaths reported so far in the country, 43,837 are from Maharashtra, followed by 11,140 from Karnataka, 11,091 from Tamil Nadu, 7,007 from Uttar Pradesh, 6,784 from West Bengal, 6,676 from Andhra Pradesh, 6,470 from Delhi, 4,187 from Punjab and 3,711 from Gujarat.

India's COVID-19 Case Fatality Rate (CFR) fell below 1.5 per cent on Saturday, the Union Health ministry said, crediting the Centre-led strategy of 'test, trace, track and treat' for keeping Coronavirus-related deaths low and within manageable numbers.

Deaths per million population in the country stand at a very low level of 88, it said.

The ministry said 23 states and Union Territories in the country have a CFR lower than the national average, while 65 per cent of the total deaths so far were recorded in five states.

Meanwhile, Union Labour minister Santosh Gangwar said on Saturday that his wife and six other family members have tested positive.

The 71-year-old minister too underwent a test for COVID-19 and his report came negative.

Gangwar, who is the parliamentarian from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, told reporters here that his family members had recently gone to Delhi where they contracted the infection. All of them have been admitted to the ESI Hospital in Faridabad.

The cook of the family has also taken ill and has been admitted to a hospital as a precautionary measure, he said.