India's coronavirus caseload increased to 7,42,417 on Wednesday with a single-day rise of 22,752 COVID-19 cases, even as the recovery rate further improved to over 61.5 per cent, according to Union Health Ministry data.
The death count climbed to 20,642 with 482 new fatalities, government data this morning showed
The number of recoveries stands at 4,56,830, while there are 2,64,944 active cases of the coronavirus infection currently in the country.
India now trails only the United States and Brazil in the number of COVID-19 cases and it has recorded eight times as many cases as China, where the virus was first identified in late 2019.
Meanwhile, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee played down the new lockdown that will come into force from 5 pm tomorrow across containment zones of the state, saying there is no need to make a mountain out of molehill. The lockdown will be in force for seven days and extended if necessary, she said. She also rejected the list of new containment zones for the South 24 Parganas district, because too many areas were included.
