COVID-19: India records 1,61,736 infections, 879 deaths

New Delhi: A total of 1,61,736 new coronavirus infections have been reported in a day pushing India’s tally of cases to 1,36,89,453, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate dropped further to 89.51 per cent, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Monday.

The death toll increased to 1,71,058 with 879 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Registering a steady increase for the 34th day in a row, the number of active cases rose to 12,64,698, or 9.24Â per cent of the total infections.

The active caseload was at its lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12, 2021 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,22,53,697, while the case fatality rate has dropped further to 1.25 per cent, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7; 30 lakh on August 23; 40 lakh on September 5; and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past  60 lakh on September 28; 70 lakh on October 11; 80 lakh on October 29; 90 lakh on November 20; and the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 25,92,07,108 samples have been tested up to April 12, of which 14,00,122 were done on Monday.