India records 50,848 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

The overall cases tally stands at 3,00,28,709. Around 1,358 fatalities took place in the last 24-hour period.

India recorded 50,848 new COVID-19 cases, according to the data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday (June 23). This has pushed the overall cases tally to 3,00,28,709.  Around 1,358 fatalities took place in the last 24-hour period.

The top five states which have registered the maximum number of COVID-19 cases are Kerala with 12,617 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 8,470 cases, Tamil Nadu with 6,895 cases, Andhra Pradesh with 4,169 cases and Karnataka with 3,709 cases. As many as 70.52 per cent of the new cases are reported from these five states, with Kerala alone responsible for 24.81 per cent of the new cases.

The maximum casualties were reported in Maharashtra (482), followed by Tamil Nadu (194).

Meanwhile, the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, first found in India, has now mutated further to form the 'Delta Plus' or 'AY.1' variant. As some of the states witness new cases of the Delta Plus, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday (June 22, 2021) labelled it as a 'Variant of Concern'. The Union Health Ministry has alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the Delta Plus variant of COVID-19 being found in some districts in these States.