6,05,65,728 samples tested to detect COVID-19 infections till September 15, says ICMR

NEW DELHI: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday (September 17, 2020) said that nearly 6,05,65,728 samples were tested to detect cases of coronavirus infection till September 15. Of these, 11,36,613 samples were tested on Wednesday, the ICMR said.

According to the data from the ICMR, India had conducted 11,16,842 sample tests in a single day on Tuesday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 5,94,29,115.

With a massive spike of 90,123 cases, including 1,290 deaths in 24 hours, India`s tally on Wednesday crossed the grim mark of 50 lakh, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The total corona tally stood at 50,20,359 cases as of Wednesday night.

On July 17, India had logged 10 lakh cases, which then doubled to 20 lakh in 20 days on August 7. The country added another 10 lakh on August 23 and went past 40 lakh on September 5. In 11 days, it added another 10 lakh cases, mounting to 50 lakh cases on Wednesday.

Out of the total cases, 9,95,933 are active, 39,42,360 have been discharged, while 82,066 lost the battle against the viral disease. In the last 24 hours, 82,961 patients were discharged.

While the recovery rate stands at a whooping high of 78.53 per cent, the fatality rate has come down to 1.63 per cent, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 10,97,856 cases, including 30,409 deaths; followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

On Monday, the ministry asked Delhi, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu to ramp up their testing. These are the states whose positivity rates are faring above the national average. Meanwhile, four of these states account for more than half (53.5 per cent) of the active cases.