The country recorded 24,882 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, an eight per cent increase since Friday, and the highest daily figure so far this year, as a worrying trend of rising numbers of new infections continued.

There were also 140 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry. The cumulative tally of coronavirus infections has reached 1,13,33,728 while the toll reached 1,58,446.

The infection level in the country is back to what it was in December as it soared to 1.78 per cent from 1.55 within a week.

In the last four days, the number of fatalities has risen as well, which earlier was hovering under 100.

The country on Friday reported 22,885 new Covid- 19 cases and 117 fatalities. On Thursday, India had reported 22,854 Covid-19 cases and 126 deaths; while on Wednesday, 17,921 Covid-19 cases and 133 deaths were recorded.

Eight states in the country have been displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases of Covid- 19 over the last three weeks, said the Health Ministry.

These states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana.

In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra recorded 15,817 new cases; Punjab reported 1,408; Karnataka logged 833; Gujarat 715; Tamil Nadu noted 670 cases; Madhya Pradesh 603; Delhi 431 cases and Haryana reported 385, as per the data shared by the ministry of health and family welfare.

Meanwhile, India’s total active caseload stands at 2.02 lakh (2,02,022) on Saturday, of which Maharashtra alone accounted for 63.57 per cent. Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh accounted for 87.72 per cent of the new cases reported in last 24 hours.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that night curfew might be imposed in Bhopal and Indore from Sunday or Monday in view of spurt in coronavirus cases in these two districts.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry said that more than 20 lakh vaccine doses against the coronavirus were administered across the country on Friday, the highest single-day count so far.

Delhi : Delhi today recorded 419 new coronavirus infections, crossing the 400-mark for the third consecutive day, even as its Covid positivity rate stood at 0.56 per cent, according to the Delhi government’s latest health bulletin.