Over 18,000 people tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours in India, the biggest one-day jump in the country since the pandemic was first reported in January. With 18,552 new cases, the total number of cases have risen to 508,953, the Health Ministry said this morning. 384 COVID-19 deaths were also reported during the period, taking the total number of casualties due to the virus to 15,685.
On Friday, India crossed the 5 lakh figure after the country reported its highest single-day spike of over 17,000 cases. It took 149 days to cross the five-lakh mark. India has been recording over 14,000 cases for the past eight days now.