India / COVID-19 recoveries in India cross 26 lakh, active cases stand at 7,52,424

New Delhi: India reported more than 75,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for the third day in a row and over 1,000 deaths for four consecutive days, taking the tally to 3,463,972, Union health ministry’s data showed on Saturday.

There were 76,472 new infections--75,760 on Thursday and 77,266 on Friday--in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry’s dashboard at 8am. The number of active cases stood at 752,424, it showed. And, 1,021 people succumbed to the viral disease between Friday and Saturday morning after 1,059 died on Thursday and 1,023 on Friday.

The number of people who have been recovered from the coronavirus disease rose to 2,648,998 after 65,050 patients were cured in a single day. This has taken the recovery rate to 76.47%.

India’s Covid-19 recoveries went past 2.6 million after 65,050 patients recovered and were discharged from home isolation in case of mild and moderate cases and hospitals in severe and critical cases in a single day. This has taken the country’s recovery rate to 76.47%.

The government said on Friday in the past five months more than 3/4 of Covid-19 cases have recovered and less than 1/4 is active now, attributing to its “strategic and graded TEST, TRACK and TREAT approach”.

The number of recoveries is nearly 3.5 times the active cases, which comprise 21.90% of the total cases, it said.

The government has also said that India’s Covid-19 testing has crossed the 4 million mark, with about 9 lakh tests done on Friday. According to the government data, at least 10 million tests have been done in the past two weeks.

“…9 lakh COVID-19 samples each day for the second consecutive day, keeping a sharp focus on test, track and treat strategy of the Union government. India has already created a capacity of doing 10 lakh tests per day…,” the health ministry has said in a statement.

The tests per million have also seen a sharp surge to 28,607. According to experts, it is only by aggressive testing that positive cases can be identified at an early stage, their close contacts promptly tracked and isolated as well as timely and effective treatment can be ensured.