India's fresh Covid cases dip to 9,923, positivity rate at 2.5%

New Delhi: India's Covid-19 tally climbed to 4,33,19,396 on Tuesday with 9,923 fresh cases, while the number of active cases increased to 79,313, according to Union health ministry data.

The death toll climbed to 5,24,890 with 17 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The 17 new fatalities include six from Delhi, five from Kerala, two from Maharashtra, and one each from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.

Of the total 5,24,890 deaths reported so far in the country, 1,47,888 were from Maharashtra, 69,889 from Kerala, 40,113 from Karnataka, 38,026 from Tamil Nadu, 26,238 from Delhi, 23,527 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,209 from West Bengal.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 percent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. "Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that the state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

The active cases comprise 0.18 percent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.61 percent, the ministry said.

An increase of 2,613 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 2.55 percent and the weekly positivity rate at 2.67 percent, the ministry said.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,27,15,193, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.21 percent, it said. So far, 196.32 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the country under the nationwide inoculation drive, according to the ministry.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and surpassed the 1-crore mark on December 19.