A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a policeman at a testing centre in New Delhi. File/Reuters

Gulf Today Report

India's coronavirus caseload stood at 8.1 million on Saturday. India's tally on Saturday rose to 81,37,119 with a fresh spike of 48,268 coronavirus infections and 551 deaths in 24 hours.

India has the world's second-highest caseload, behind only the United States, but new infections have seen a dip since September.

The Indian capital New Delhi witnessed a rise in the number of infections with around 5,000 cases being recorded daily for the past three days.

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The Indian health ministry said total mortalities, those who lost the battle against the pandemic, rose to 121,641.

Out of the total Covid-19 cases, 5,82,649 are currently active, while 74,32,829 have been discharged.

A fresh spike of 48,268 coronavirus infections and 551 deaths was seen in 24 hours. File photo

While the recovery rate stands at 91.34 per cent, the fatality rate is 1.49 per cent, the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare showed.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit with a total of 16,72,858 cases, including 43,837 deaths, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Meanwhile, the national capital recorded 5,891 fresh Covid-19 cases on Friday, the highest single-day spike till date, taking the total caseload to over 3.81 lakhs, with 47 new fatalities pushing the death count in the national capital to 6,470.

This is the highest single-day figure Delhi reported since the pandemic struck the country. The national capital, which is battling the third wave of infections, has been logging over 5,000 cases daily for the past three days.

Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted 10,67,976 sample tests in a single day on Friday, taking the total number of samples tested so far to 10,87,96,094.