COVID-19 Outbreak: India crosses Russia, takes third spot in list of worst-hit nations

As the coronavirus cases in India continue to spread rapidly, India is now just behind the United States, and Brazil in terms of the total confirmed cases. With close to 25,000 new cases on Sunday, India overtook Russia to take the third spot in the list of nations worst hit by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak. It is, therefore, the biggest epicenter of the coronavirus disease pandemic in Asia.

India's COVID-19 count on Sunday crossed the 6.97 lakh-mark, while the death toll has crossed the 19,500-mark as well.

On this day, the COVID-19 tally in the country has reached 6,97,069 cases, which includes 2,52,402 active cases; 4,24,885 cured, discharged or migrated patients, and 18,699 deaths.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 613 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant spike.

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 2,06,619 positive cases of COVID-19 infection and 8,822 deaths. As many as 6,555 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state on this day.

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 84,500-mark and the death toll is closing in on the 4,900-mark as well. On this day, the COVID-19 tally in Mumbai showed 84,524 cases and 4,899 deaths. A total of 1,287 new COVID-19 cases and 69 deaths reported in Mumbai on Sunday, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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 Tamil Nadu with 1,11,151 cases. The state crossed Delhi to take up second place in the list due to a recent massive surge in the number of cases.

The national capital is third on the list with 99,444 cases.

After Delhi comes Gujarat, where the COVID-19 figure stands at 36,123 cases with 25,900 patients recovered and 1,944 fatalities. Uttar Pradesh has reported 27,707 cases of which 18,761 have recovered and 785 patients are dead.

West Bengal has reported 22,126 positive cases so far of which 14,711 patients have recovered and 757 patients have lost their lives due to the virus. In Rajasthan, as many as 20,164 people have confirmed COVID-19, of which 15,928 recovered and 456 people succumbed to it.

In Kerala, which reported the country's first COVID-19 case, 5,430 people have been detected positive for coronavirus so far.

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