New Delhi: Sixty-eight people have died in India after being infected with novel coronavirus or COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday, as the country recorded the highest number of cases (601) and deaths (12) in the last 24 hours. The fresh cases take the total to 2,902. India has seen an unprecedented increase in COVID-19 count over the last week after hundreds who had attended a controversial religious gathering held by Islamic group Tablighi Jamaat in south Delhi in March tested positive.
Worldwide, COVID-19 count has crossed 1 million-mark, over 50,000 have died. The United States registered nearly 1,500 deaths from COVID-19 between Thursday and Friday, the highest any country has recorded in 24 hours.
An unprecedented surge has been reported in the number of COVID-19 cases over the last one week in states across the country. From 900 cases last Saturday, including 19 deaths, COVID-19 count is close to touching the 3,000-mark in a week’s time. Hundreds of these cases are linked to the Delhi mosque event, which has become India’s biggest hotspot for the deadly virus.
With 490 cases, including six deaths, Maharashtra has registered most coronavirus patients so far. Tamil Nadu, the state with second highest number of cases in the country, witnessed a spike for the third consecutive day on Friday as it reported nearly 100 new patients; most of them had visited Nizamuddin, one of the Delhi hotspots.
In Delhi, 108 health officials working with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have been quarantined after they came in contact with two patients who tested positive for COVID-19.
On Saturday morning, 112 French nationals, who were stranded in Kerala after transport services were suspended due to nationwide lockdown announced last week, were airlifted by a special Air India flight to Paris.
