NEW DELHI/ WASHINGTON: India raced past Spain on Saturday to become the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic after a record spike in cases for four consecutive days pushed total infections to over 2,43,733, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.
In less than 24 hours, India surpassed Italy and then Spain to reach the grim milestone. Now, only the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK are ahead of it.
According to the Union Health Ministry, India registered a record single-day spike of 9,887 cases and 294 deaths by Saturday 8 am, pushing the tally to 2,36,657 and the death toll to 6,642.
The country registered over 9,000 cases for the third day in a row. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 1,15,942.
A total of 1,14,073 people have recovered with 4,611 COVID-19 patients having been cured in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said. “Thus, around 48.20 per cent patients have recovered so far,” a senior ministry official said. The total confirmed cases included foreigners.
The health ministry said cumulatively 45,24,317 samples have been tested so far with 1,37,938 samples tested in the last 24 hours.
ED headquarters sealed
Five Enforcement Directorate (ED) employees, including a special director rank officer, have tested positive for COVID-19, following which the headquarters of the central probe agency have been sealed for 48 hours till Monday, officials said.
The employees were found infected after the agency carried out section-wise testing at its headquarters in the wake of some COVID-19 cases being reported from other floors of the Lok Nayak Bhawan in Khan Market, where the ED office is located, the officials said on Saturday.
Trump jab
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that countries like India and China would have much more coronavirus cases than America, the worst-hit country in the world, if they conduct more tests. Trump said that the US has carried out 20 million tests.
Commenting on the COVID-19 tests in the US, Trump said: “We will be well over 20 million tests. Remember this, when you test more, you have more cases.” (PTI)
