India enters list of top 10 nations with most COVID-19 cases

India recorded its biggest single-day spike for 4th straight day, cases now 1,38,845

Health workers conducting rapid test for COVID-19 at a clinic in Kolkata | Salil Bera Health workers conducting rapid test for COVID-19 at a clinic in Kolkata | Salil Bera

India registered its biggest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day on Monday with 6,977 new infections, reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country's tally to 1,38,845, while the death toll rose to 4,021, according to the Union health ministry.

A total 154 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours till Monday 8am.

The number of active COVID-19 cases climbed to 77,103, while 57,720 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

"Thus, around 41.57 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior health ministry official said. The total confirmed cases include foreigners.

Of the 154 deaths reported since Sunday morning, 58 were from Maharashtra, 30 from Delhi, 29 from Gujarat, nine in Madhya Pradesh, eight from Tamil Nadu, six from Uttar Pradesh, four from Telangana, three each from Rajasthan and West Bengal, two from Bihar and one each from Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Of the total 4,021 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,635 deaths followed by Gujarat at 858 deaths, Madhya Pradesh at 290, West Bengal at 272, Delhi at 261, Rajasthan at 163, Uttar Pradesh at 161,Tamil Nadu at 111 and Andhra Pradesh at 56.

The death toll reached 53 in Telangana, 42 in Karnataka and 40 in Punjab.

Jammu and Kashmir has reported 21 fatalities due to the disease, Haryana has 16 deaths while Bihar has registered 13 and Odisha has seven deaths.

Kerala, Jharkhand and Assam have reported four deaths each so far.

Chandigarh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh each have recorded three COVID-19 fatalities each while Meghalaya has reported one fatality so far, according to the ministry data.

According to the ministry's website, more than 70 per cent of the deaths are due to co-morbidities.