India's Covid cases at 26,496 & death toll at 824 as worldwide toll crosses 200,000

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 824 and the number of cases climbed to 26,496 in the country on Friday, with 49 more deaths and 1,990 fresh cases being reported in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 19,868 as 5,804 people were cured and discharged, and one patient migrated, the ministry said.

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Of the 775 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 323 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 133, Madhya Pradesh at 99, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 33, Andhra Pradesh at 31 and Telangana at 26. 

In a major boost to India's battle against Coronavirus, Union Joint Health Secretary Lav Agarwal, on Thursday, stated that India's recovery rate has increased to 19.89%. Moreover, he revealed that 78 districts have not reported a single COVID case in the past 14 days.

National lockdown

The country is currently in the second phase of the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 and will go on till May 3. In an address to the nation on April 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "It is clearly evident from the experience of the past few days, that we have chosen the correct path. Our country has greatly benefited from social distancing and lockdown. From an economic only point of view, it undoubtedly looks costly right now; but measured against the lives of Indian citizens, there is no comparison itself. The path that India has taken within our limited resources has become a topic of discussion in the entire world today."

Read: Maharashtra Govt Issues Guidelines For Essential Service Staff Amid Rising Covid Cases

Read: With 811 Fresh Cases, Maharashtra's COVID-19 Tally Rises To 7628; 323 Deaths Reported