Nearly 20,000 Coronavirus Cases In India In 24 Hours For First Time

New Delhi : India recorded its biggest surge in the number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours for a second consecutive day with 19,906 new patients, taking the total to 528,859 infections, the Union Health Ministry said this morning. The country also witnessed 410 COVID-19-related deaths during the period, taking the total number of casualties due to the virus to 16,095. This is the first time that more than 19,000 fresh infections have been reported in a single day. India is the fourth worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States, Brazil and Russia.

87 per cent of all COVID-19 related deaths in the country have been reported from eight states, the government said yesterday as the country’s COVID-19 tally crossed the five lakh mark. The government has allowed the use of the low-cost steroid drug dexamethasone, used to reduce inflammation in other diseases such as arthritis, as an alternative to treat coronavirus patients with moderate and severe symptoms.