Over 59k new cases, 257 deaths; Maharashtra sets one-day record of 35,952 infections

Official data show prominent second waves of infection in six states - Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat.

A health worker collects swab to conduct COVID-19 tests on passengers coming by long distance trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Express Web Desk | Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Kochi, Mumbai, New Delhi | March 26, 2021 :  Continuing to showcase a rising trend in coronavirus infections, India till Friday morning registered 59,118 new cases taking its tally to 1,18,46,652. As many as 257 fatalities were reported on Thursday, taking the death toll to 1,60,949. Active cases have risen to more than 4.21 lakh with the new addition. Maharashtra scaled a fresh single-day record with 35,952 cases, which is almost 62 per cent of the cases in India. Punjab, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh are now reporting around 2,500 cases each daily.

For the first time in the last four months, India on Thursday morning reported more than 50,000 fresh cases of Covid-19 infection in a 24-hour window. The daily deaths also continued to rise as the country reported 251 deaths on Thursday morning, day after reporting 275 deaths on Wednesday.

Official data shows prominent second waves of infection in six states — Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat.

A new double mutant variant of coronavirus has been identified in India, according to the Ministry of Health. A total of 206 cases of the double mutant variant (E484Q + L452R) have been detected in Maharashtra, the data shows. However, the Centre has said that there is no direct link of the new variant detected with the ongoing surge in the state.