The total number of cases is now 50,545, the maximum of them from Maharashtra.
The number of coronavirus cases in India crossed the 50,000 mark today — more than four months after the first patient was found positive in Kerala. The last 10,000 patients were detected over a period of three days. The biggest spike in numbers — 3900 over a period of 24 hours — was reported on Tuesday morning by the health ministry.
The total number of cases is now 50,545, the maximum of them from Maharashtra. More than 14,000 people have recovered and more than 1,650 people have died.
Maharashtra currently has 16,758 cases, of which 1,233 cases were reported today. A chunk of the patients are from Mumbai, which has so far reported 10,714 cases.
Gujarat has the second-highest number, 6200-plus, followed by the national capital, which has more than 5,000 cases. Delhi is followed by Tamil Nadu, where the figure has crossed 4,000.
The highly contagious virus, which made an appearance in China’s Wuhan in December and became a global pandemic in March, had reached India in January. The first case was detected in Kerala on January 30, the patient was a student who was studying at the Wuhan University.
The numbers started shooting up in March, pushing state after states to announce restrictions days before the Centre announced the countrywide lockdown on March 25.
The lockdown was extended twice – once on April 14 and once on May 3. The current spell is slated to end on May 17, though some states are considering an extension. Yesterday, Telangana declared that it would extend the lockdown till May 29.
The economy has taken a nosedive since the outbreak started and the weeks of lockdown have left the industry gasping. The government and much of the private sector have announced pay cuts. Sectors that have been the hardest hit, like aviation, have even announced lay-offs.
Millions of migrant workers, meanwhile, have been pushed to the brink of starvation as their incomes dried up overnight.
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