With a 32 per cent one-day jump in the number of new coronavirus infections, India recorded 38,617 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, government data shows.

India also saw 474 Covid-related deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its overall fatalities to 1,30,993. So far, the country has recorded a total of 89.12 Covid cases so far since the January outbreak.

The national daily Covid case rise in the last 24 hours reflects increased testing, which finally touched 9.3 lakh after dropping to about 8 lakh over the weekend because of Diwali festivities. It pushed up the positivity rate to 4.1 per cent.

On Tuesday, the Health Ministry had warned that the country was yet to see the effects of laxity in following Covid-safe behaviour during the Diwali festivities and recently concluded state elections in Bihar and bypolls elsewhere. Effects will play out over the next week to 15 days, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said.

To check coronavirus spread, many states, including Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi and Jharkhand, have banned community celebration of Chhath festival on November 20.

In the last 24 hours, number of recoveries remained more than fresh cases as 44,739 people fought off the viral disease. With this, India's total number of COVID-19 recoveries crossed 83 lakh.

The United Nations has said it is releasing $100 million in aid for seven countries to avoid famine because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since the December outbreak in China's Wuhan, more than 5.4 crore coronavirus cases have been recorded around the world so far.

Though researchers are still working on a vaccine, there's been upbeat news this month from US drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna as well as Russia that showed their experimental vaccines were over 90% effective based on interim data from large, late-stage trials.

Source: NDTV

BDST: 1308 HRS, NOV 18, 2020
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