At 252, India has reported its highest number single-day recoveries on April 17, as per the health ministry’s latest update at 5 p.m. At the same time, 448 new COVID-19 cases have been detected since 8.00 a.m. today.

India has now reported a total of 13,835 COVID-19 cases and 1,766 recoveries.

The doubling rate of COVID-19 cases in the last seven days is 6.2 days while before the lockdown it was three days, said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary at the health ministry.

Gujarat has become the sixth state and the second fastest (29 days)--after Madhya Pradesh (27 days)--to detect 1,000 COVID-19 cases. It follows Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi are the only states to have reported a death every day in the last seven days (since April 10). Gujarat and Delhi have reported the third most deaths (38 each) in India. Maharashtra (194) and Madhya Pradesh (54) are the top two.

Meghalaya has reported two more COVID-19 cases, taking its total to nine. The state had reported its first case on April 14 and has the second most cases in the northeast after Assam (35), and one death (as has Assam).

By April 16, India had tested 319,400 samples. 28,340 were tested on April 16, of which 23,932 were conducted in the ICMR network while 4,408 were done in private centres, said Raman Gangakhedkar of ICMR. As of April 16, India had 188 government testing centres and 81 private ones.

(Compiled by Shreehari Paliath)

IndiaSpend Team