COVID-19: Coronavirus tally increases by 55,079; death toll crosses 51,000

A spike of 55,079 cases and 876 deaths were reported in India in the last 24 hours. This has increased the coronavirus tally to 2,702,743 including 673,166 active cases, 1,977,780 discharged/migrated and 51,797 deaths.

The country conducted 899,864 tests on Monday. A total of 30,941,264 tests have been conducted till August 17, Indian Council of Medical Research reported.

The Ministry of Health said, "Focused implementation of Centre-led strategies has ensured prompt identification, timely isolation and effective clinical treatment, leading to reduced Case Fatality Rate. 30 States/UTs performed better than the national average."

On Monday night, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson and Managing Director of Bengaluru-based Biocon Ltd, tested positive for coronavirus, she confirmed through a Twitter post.

Delhi reported 787 new cases, 740 discharges/recoveries and 18 deaths on Monday night. Total number of cases now stands at 153,367 including 138,301 recovered/discharged/migrated cases, 10,852 active cases and 4,214 deaths.

"The results of the second Sero survey expected in this week. The first survey showed that over 22% of the people from Delhi were exposed to the virus," said Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

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Maharashtra, one of the worst affected states in India, reported 8,493 new cases and 228 deaths. A total of 11,391 patients were also discharged. The total positive cases in the state rise to 604,358 including 428,514 recovered patients and 20,265 deaths. Active cases stand at 1,55,268. 

Almost 1,043 prisoners and 302 jail staff tested positive for coronavirus in prisons across Maharashtra so far. Six inmates have died due to the virus.

Punjab, the northern Indian state, reported 1,492 new cases and 51 deaths on Monday night. The total cases in the state rise to 32,695 including 862 deaths and 20,180 patients discharged. Active cases stand at 11,653. The state government has decided to extend restrictions in Jalandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana to contain the spread of the virus. Under these restrictions, all non-essential movements will be prohibited between 9pm to 5am, and all shops and mall will be ordered to close down before 8:30pm, while mall will be shit down by 8pm.

Puducherry reported 370 new cases, 282 recoveries and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases stands at 8,396 in the state till date, including 4,909 recovered cases, 3,364 active cases and 123 deaths so far.