India records 40% jump in daily Covid cases, 14 deaths in last 24 hours

India recorded 3,016 new cases of Covid-19  in the past 24 hours which works out to a 40 per cent jump over the corresponding figure for the previous day, according to the latest data compiled by the Union Health Ministry.

The number of coronavirus infections is the highest in nearly six months. The country had recorded 3,375 cases on October 2 last year.

There were 14 deaths reported due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours of which 8 were reported from Kerala, three from Maharashtra, two from Delhi and one from Himachal Pradesh.

The daily positivity rate has gone up to 2.7 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 1.71 per cent.

The Delhi government has called for an emergency meeting today as there has been a sudden surge in Covid-19 infections in the national capital.

The fresh daily count of coronavirus cases in Delhi had shot up to 300 on Wednesday for the first time since August 31. The positivity rate has gone up to an alarming 13.89 per cent.

According to data shared by the city health department, 54 Covid patients have been admitted to hospitals in the city including 17 in ICU, while 452 are in home isolation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a high-level meeting on the coronavirus situation recently and the states have been alerted to put the Covid protocols in place in the affected clusters to control spread of the disease.