India records more than 7,000 COVID-19 cases in country's highest single-day spike

India is now the ninth worst-affected country by coronavirus pandemic.

NEW DELHI: The number of fresh COVID-19 cases crossed 7,000 for the first time in India as the country recorded 7,466 new cases within a span of 24 hours, taking the total tally of cases past 1.65 lakh.

The number of total Covid 19 cases in the country stood at 1,65,799 on Friday morning of whom 89,987 are active cases.

The death toll in the country is also continuing to surge with at least 175 deaths reported till Friday morning, the third highest number of deaths in a single day.

With this, the number of fatalities due to the infection in the country climbed to 4,706.

India is now the ninth worst-affected country by coronavirus pandemic.

Maharashtra and Delhi saw near explosion of cases with 2,598 and 1,024 cases respectively. For Delhi, this was the first time that 1,000 cases were registered in a single day.

Tamil Nadu also witnessed high number of coronavirus cases on Thursday.

The state detected 827 cases in previous 24 hours, taking the total count to 19,372 and at least 12 who died due to coronavirus infection in the state — highest single day death toll from the state.

Officials in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ministry maintained that the sharp spike in overnight cases have gone up since last several weeks when inter-state movements started and lockdown norms were relaxed substantially.