Kerala recorded the highest number of fresh COVID-19 cases in the country on Saturday with 50,812 people testing positive for the infection followed by Karnataka with 33,337 and Maharashtra at the third spot with 27,971 new cases.

The three states account for close to 50% of the total 2.34 lakh fresh coronavirus cases recorded in the entire country during the 24-hour period, Health Ministry data released on Sunday showed.       

As many as 893 deaths were also recorded in the country.

Overall there was a decrease of 1,19,396 in the total number of active coronavirus cases in the country as 3,52,784 people were reported to have recovered on Saturday.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had held Covid-19 review meeting with five eastern states on Saturday and asked them to remain vigilant despite a decline in active coronavirus cases.

State health ministers, principal secretaries/ additional chief secretaries and information commissioners of Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal were present in the meeting.

“While the active cases in most of the states and the positivity rate have shown a fall in the last two weeks, we still need to be vigilant and not lower our guard," Mandaviya said in the meeting.

“It is important to analyse at the state level the proportion of vaccinated and unvaccinated of the hospitalised cases, the deaths and those on ventilators and oxygen support," he added.

Those testing positive for Covid must wait for 3 months before taking vaccine shot, says Govt