India’s Covid-19 tally saw a record addition of nearly 10,000 cases on Wednesday to cross 2.76 lakh as hundreds more tested positive for the dreaded virus in several states and union territories. The country recorded 9,985 cases in the last 24 hours.
According to Union health ministry update at 8 am, the number of active cases in the country are 1,33,632, while those cured or discharged are 1,35,205.
Two hundred seventy four people died due to the disease in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.
The health ministry said on Tuesday that central teams have been deployed in 15 states and union territories to assist the local administration in containment and management of the outbreak.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said India is better positioned in the fight against the coronavirus disease in comparison to many countries but cautioned against any complacency.
“Let us also not forget the ‘social vaccine’ against Covid-19 through strict adherence of norms of physical distancing, hand hygiene and mask/face covers,” he said on Tuesday.
While the single-day nationwide count of cases rose for the eighth consecutive day on Wednesday, the overall tally has risen by more than 75,000 since June 1, which marked the beginning of the exit from the over-two-month-long nationwide lockdown.
Under the latest phase of unlocking, malls, religious places and restaurants also reopened on Monday in various states. Offices and several other establishments have also reopened, except in containment areas with high caseloads.
The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, said on Tuesday that the coronavirus disease pandemic has been worsening globally and now is not the time for any country to “take its foot off the pedal”.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said this on Monday, citing what he said was the highest number of new cases seen in a day by the health agency.
More than 136,000 new cases were reported worldwide on Sunday, the most in a single day so far, and nearly 75% of them were reported from 10 countries, mostly in the Americas and South Asia, Ghebreyesus said.