Achieving a significant milestone in the fight against coronavirus, India's active COVID-19 cases have fallen below 5.5 lakh and now comprise merely 6.55 per cent of the total infections as the number of recoveries crossed 76 lakh, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The slide in active cases is supplemented by an exponential rise in recoveries, it said.

The total number of recoveries has surged to 76,03,121 and exceed active cases by 70,61,716, the ministry highlighted. The national COVID-19 recovery rate has further escalated to 91.96 per cent.

The ministry said new infections reported in a day have fallen below 40,000 as India registered a daily rise of 38,310 new cases on Tuesday. The country had reported 36,470 new cases in a span of 24 hours till 8 am on October 27.

With a large number of coronavirus patients recovering every day and a sustained fall in the mortality rate, the ministry underlined, "India's steady trend of registering dipping active cases continues."

These encouraging outcomes are the result of a collaborative, focussed and effective implementation by states and Union territories under the Centre's strategy of comprehensive and consistently high countrywide testing, prompt and effective surveillance and tracking, quick hospitalisation and effective adherence of the Standard Treatment Protocol issued by the Centre.

This success was also a result of the selfless service and dedication of doctors, paramedics, frontline workers and all other COVID-19 warriors across all parts of the country, the ministry said.

A total 58,323 patients have recovered and discharged in a span of 24 hours, 80 per cent of which are observed to be concentrated in 10 states and UTs. Maharashtra is leading with more than 10,000 single-day recoveries followed by Karnataka where over 8,000 people have recuperated in a day.

The ministry said 74 per cent of the new infections were from 10 states and UTs. Kerala, Delhi and Maharashtra have contributed the maximum to the new cases with more than 4,000 cases each. West Bengal reported over 3,000 new cases.

Also, 490 fatalities have been reported in a day. Of these, nearly 80 per cent are concentrated in 10 states and UTs with Maharashtra registering the maximum 104 deaths. India's COVID-19 case fatality rate stood at 1.49 per cent.

The country's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 82,67,623 with 38,310 fresh infections, while the death toll reached 1,23,097 after 490 new fatalities were reported, the health ministry data updated at 8 am showed.