Coronavirus Outbreak: India's COVID-19 case tally crosses 4.25 lakh-mark; death toll 13,699

As the coronavirus cases in India continue to spread rapidly, India is now just behind the United States, Brazil, and Russia in terms of the total confirmed cases. It is, therefore, the biggest epicenter of the coronavirus disease pandemic in Asia and the fourth worst-affected nation in the world.

With over 14,800 new cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 count on Monday crossed the 4.25 lakh-mark, while the death toll has almost touched the 13,700-mark as well.

At 9:30 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in the country has reached 4,25,282 cases, which includes 1,74,387 active cases; 2,37,196 cured, discharged, or migrated patients, and 13,699 deaths.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 14,821 new COVID-19 cases and 445 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant spike. Yesterday, India had marked the highest spike in the country's COVID-19 tally as of yet, with a rise in over 15,000 cases in 24 hours.

Maharashtra continues to be the epicenter of the coronavirus spread where the number of cases has witnessed an even large spike recently. According to the Health Ministry, Maharashtra has the highest number of cases with 1,32,075 positive cases of COVID-19 infection and 6,170 deaths.

Notably, Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, has become the hotbed of the coronavirus spread in the state where the number of cases has crossed the 66,400-mark and the death toll has topped the 3,600-mark as well. At 9:30 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in Mumbai showed 66,488 cases and 3,671 deaths.

One of the real challenges in Mumbai is controlling the disease contamination in Asia's biggest slum -- Dharavi, which is an extremely densely-populated region.

Maharashtra is followed by Delhi with 59,746 cases. The national capital crossed Tamil Nadu to take up second place in the list due to a recent massive surge in the number of cases.

Tamil Nadu is third on the list with 59,377 cases.

After Tamil Nadu comes Gujarat, where the COVID-19 figure stands at 27,317 cases with 19,357 patients recovered and 1,664 fatalities. Uttar Pradesh has reported 17,731 cases of which 10,995 have recovered and 550 patients are dead.

Rajasthan has reported 14,930 positive cases so far of which 11,597 patients have recovered and 349 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In West Bengal, as many as 13,945 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 8,297 recovered and 555 people succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 3,173 people have been detected positive for coronavirus so far.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a consultation with chief ministers of all states to discuss ways to control the spread of the virus. He made it clear that the nationwide lockdown will not be imposed again. In fact, a period of unlocking has begun.

The central government still keeps denying that community transmission is taking place in India.