COVID-19 update: India reports 41,965 new cases, 35.6% higher than Tuesday; Kerala accounts for maximum cases

India recorded 41,965 new COVID-19 cases, 35.6% higher than Tuesday and 460 deaths against yesterday's 350 casualties in the last 24 hours, the government data showed. Kerala reported over 30,000 new COVID-19 cases and 115 deaths. Its test positivity rate stands at 18.86%.

With this addition, the country's total COVID-19 caseload has risen to 3.28 crore (3,28,10,845), while the death toll has increased to 4.39 lakh (4,39,020). Active cases presently stand at 3.78 lakh (3,78,181). The daily test positivity rate - the number of positive cases identified per 100 stands at 2.61%.

Tamil Nadu with 1,512 COVID-19 cases, Karnataka with 1,217, Andhra Pradesh with 1,115 are other states with a high number of daily cases. Telangana reported 338 COVID-19 cases in a day and West Bengal reported  640 fresh cases. Assam reported five fresh fatalities due to COVID-19, while 570 more people tested positive.

West Bengal's COVID-19 toll rose to 18,447 after 13 more patients succumbed to the virus on Tuesday. The coronavirus tally mounted to 15,21,342 with 640 fresh cases, it said. The state now has 8,815 active cases, while 15,21,342 people have recovered from the disease so far. Assam's caseload has risen to 5,89,426, the National Health Mission said. 

Meanwhile, ICMR's Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases Dr Samiran Panda said, that the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in some states presently is indicating the third wave.

India's cumulative vaccination has now crossed 65 crore doses, as per official data. On Tuesday, India administered 1.25 crore doses of vaccines and also crossed the cumulative 50 crores first-dose coverage. Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to administer the first dose of the vaccine against coronavirus to 100 % of its 18+ population.