COVID-19: 69% of total deaths concentrated in four states including Karnataka
New Delhi: More than 74 per cent of the total active cases of COVID-19 are in nine most affected states, while 69 per cent of the total deaths reported so far are concentrated in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, the Centre said on Thursday.
The ministry said that 60 per cent of the cumulative cases of COVID-19 have been reported from only five states -- Maharashtra (9,67,349), Andhra Pradesh (5,27,512), Tamil Nadu (4,80,524), Karnataka (4,21,730), and Uttar Pradesh (2,85,041) .
There are 9,19,018 active cases of COVID-19 in the country which comprises 20.58 per cent of the total caseload, according to the ministry's data updated at 8 am.
More than 74 per cent of the total active cases are in nine most affected states --Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Assam, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh presently contribute 49 per cent of total active cases of coronavirus infection. Maharashtra is leading this tally with more than 2,50,000 whereas Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh follow with more than 97,000 each, the ministry said.
Of the total 95,735 new coronavirus infections reported in a span of 24 hours in the country, Maharashtra has alone contributed more than 23,000 and Andhra Pradesh has contributed more than 10,000.
A total of 1,172 deaths have been registered in a span of 24 hours of which 32 per cent of deaths were reported from Maharashtra with 380 deaths followed by Karnataka with 128 deaths, and Tamil Nadu with 78 deaths.
Of the total deaths, 69 per cent are concentrated in five states and UT of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, the ministry said.
The country saw a record single-day spike of 95,735 infections and 1,172 fatalities pushing India's COVID-19 caseload to 44,65,863 and death toll to 75,062, while recoveries surged to 34,71,783 on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Confident we are going to win Kerala: Shashi Tharoor
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed confidence in the victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, saying the Congress-led alliance will win more than 75 seats out of the total 140 in the state.
Tharoor, who hails from Kerala, said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls, most of which predicted a victory for the UDF that has been out of power for 10 years in the state.
"We have been on the ground. I have campaigned in 59 constituencies across 12 districts out of 14. I was very confident we are going to win.
"Everything that I have picked up from not just my party colleagues and workers but also from other observers, media and others have always convinced me that we were going to score a comfortable win of above 75 seats. And all the (exit) polls have confirmed the same thing," he told reporters here.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he was not surprised to see the results of the exit polls but in general he was not a big fan of exit polls in India.
"Because ours is not purely a homogenous society. We have to take into account gender issue, caste issue, class issue, regional disparities. You never get a convincingly large enough sample to give an accurate poll and now there is the additional complication that we have heard about in West Bengal this year that many people are unwilling to answer the questions of the pollsters," he said.
The Congress leader said normally, it used to be below 10 per cent that people said that they would not answer.
"Even if you are a reputable exit pollster, in Bengal, one polling company has said 60 per cent of people refused to answer. So, what is the worth of a poll where 60 per cent of your respondents have not answered," he said.
Several exit polls on Wednesday predicted a comeback by the Congress-led UDF in Kerala after 10 years, dethroning the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Polling for the 140-member Kerala assembly was held on April 9. Results of assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry, besides Kerala, will be announced on May 4.
