New Delhi, December 24: India's COVID-19 tally on Thursday mounted to 1,01,23,778 with 24,712 new coronavirus cases reported in the past 24 hours. With the latest spike, the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the country now stands at 2,83,849 while as many as 96,93,173 patients have been cured and discharged from different hospitals. According to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, as many as 29,791 recoveries were reported in the country in the past 24 hours. With 312 new fatalities, the death toll in India surged to 1,46,756. COVID-19 Vaccine Covaxin Generate Antibodies That May Persist for 6-12 Months, Says Bharat Biotech.

The COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 95.65 per cent while the fatality rate is 1.45 as per cent. A total of 16,53,08,366 samples have been tested for Covid-19 till now. Of these, 10,39,645 samples were tested on Wednesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state till date with 19,06,371 cases. The state reported 3,913 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday. With 93 new fatalities, the death toll in the state touched 48,969. COVID-19 Vaccine Latest Update: Bharat Biotech Again Applies for Emergency Use Authorization for Covaxin.

The Health Ministry said that over 70 percent of the daily new cases are being reported by 10 states and union territory -- Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. A new virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus has appeared in the UK and Africa. Reports inform that the mutant is said to be 70 percent more aggressive.

Globally, the overall number of coronavirus cases topped 78.6 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.72 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. As of Thursday morning, the current global caseload and death toll stood at 78,623,752 and 1,729,166, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2020 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).