At a time when many countries are witnessing a surge in their Covid-19 caseload, India on Wednesday registered a drop in the infections that went below the 5-lakh mark for the first time after 106 days.
The 4,94,657 active cases are in contrast to the 6,07,384 in August and 10,09,976 in mid-September.
However, in a review meeting, Union Health Minister Dr Harshivardhan took serious note of a spike in deaths in Maharashtra, Goa and North eastern States like Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura, calling it a matter of concern.
With 44,281 new infections reported in the past 24 hours, India’s total cases have surged to 86,36,012 as on Wednesday.
Highlighting the State specific areas of concern that would require focussed attention, the Union Health Minister noted that although the active cases have come down in Maharashtra, it continues to have a large active caseload, with a high Case Fatality Rate (2.6 per cent) which increases to 3.5 per cent in and around Mumbai.