10 States/UTs Account for 75% New COVID-19 Cases as India Nears 60 Lakh-Mark

New Delhi: Of the 85,362 new coronavirus cases reported in India in a day, 75% are found concentrated in 10 states and Union Territories, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday.

India's COVID-19 tally sprinted past 59 lakh on Saturday with 85,362 fresh cases being recorded in a day, while the death toll mounted to 93,379 after 1,089 people succumbed to the disease in 24 hours.

The data updated at 8 a.m on Saturday showed that the coronavirus caseload has risen to 59,03,932 with 85,362 infections being reported in a day, while the death toll mounted to 93,379 after 1,089 people succumbed to the disease in 24 hours.

The ministry also said India has conducted a total of seven crore tests for the detection of coronavirus infection till now with the country's testing capacity having crossed 14 lakh tests daily.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, in total 7,02,69,975 samples were tested up to September 25, with 13,41,535 tested on Friday.

The 10 states and Union Territories from where 75% of the new cases have been reported are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

Maharashtra continues to top this list by accounting for more than 17,000 cases. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh reported more than 8,000 and 7,000 cases respectively, the ministry said.

Also, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Chhattisgarh account for 83 per cent of the 1,089 deaths due to COVID-19 registered in a day.

Maharashtra reported 416 deaths in a 24-hour period, followed by Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh with 86 and 84 fatalities, respectively.

"Seventeen states and UTs have cases per million lower than the national average (4,278) while 23 are reporting deaths per million lower than the national average (68)," the health ministry said.

Asserting that India has substantially ramped up its testing infrastructure, it said as on date, there are 1,823 laboratories, including 1,086 government and 737 private ones.

India's testing capacity has surged to cross 14 lakh per day, the ministry said.

A total of 7,02,69,975 COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country so far, with 13,41,535 of them were carried out on Friday, showed the data provided by the Centre.

"A high level of testing leads to early identification of the positive cases. As evidence has revealed, eventually the positivity rate will fall when combined with higher testing.

"The national cumulative positivity rate is 8.40% and tests per million is presently positioned at 50,920," the ministry said.