India has reported more than 60,000 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s total to 3.17 million.
The Health Ministry on Tuesday also reported 848 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 58,390.
Meanwhile, India’s recovery rate has reached nearly 76% as more than 2.4 million people affected by the virus have been discharged from hospitals. The Health Ministry said that 66,550 patients — the highest in a day — recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours.
The Health Ministry said the country’s COVID-19 tests per million has risen sharply to 26,016 as cumulative tests surged to nearly 36 million.
In June, India began using cheaper, faster but less accurate tests to scale up testing. Authorities have rationed the use of the more precise molecular tests that detect the genetic code of the virus. Nearly a third of the tests India is using now are the less accurate ones that screen for antigens, or viral proteins. They require frequent retesting, which isn’t always happening.
India’s infections are fast moving beyond cities and spreading further into smaller towns. Even as western Maharashtra state and three southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka remain the worst-hit regions, new surges are being recorded in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states in India’s north.
