India on Monday, 29 March, reported 68,020 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the country’s tally to 1,20,39,644. Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 1,61,843 with 291 deaths in the last 24 hours.
This is the highest one-day spike in cases since October 2021.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there are currently 5,21,808 active cases in the country, while a total of 1,13,55,993 people have recovered so far, with 32,231 discharges in the last 24 hours.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday said that the total number of samples tested up to 28 March is 24,18,64,161, including 9,13,319 samples tested on Sunday, 28 March.
Several states have taken the surge in cases seriously and have issued fresh guidelines to curb the spread of the virus, before the upcoming festival season.
The health ministry has said that six states – Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh – account for the majority of the new COVID-19 cases.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)