India on Saturday recorded 3,26,098 new coronavirus cases, taking the total count of infections to 2,43,72,907 since the pandemic broke out in January last year. The country’s toll rose to 2,66,207 as it registered 3,890 deaths in the last day.

As many as 3,53,299 patients recovered from the infection in the last day, taking the total number of recoveries in India to 2,04,32,898. The number of recoveries exceeded the new daily cases for the fourth time in five days, according to the health ministry.

The number of active cases in India stood at 36,73,802 on Saturday morning, comprising 15.07% of the total infections.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

At a press briefing on Saturday, the Union health ministry said that 11 states in the country have more than 1 lakh active coronavirus cases, ANI reported. Luv Agarwal, the joint secretary in the Union health ministry, added that Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh were reporting a decline in active cases.

Agarwal said that Tamil Nadu was a cause of concern as active cases in the state rose over the last week.

The World Health Organization on Friday said that the coronavirus situation in India was “hugely concerning” as several states were continuing to see a worrying number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

India has been battling a ferocious second wave of the coronavirus, with hospitals across the country struggling with acute shortages of oxygen, beds and medical supplies.

On Saturday noon, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced setting up oxygen concentrator banks in each district of the Capital. He added that the government would deliver oxygen concentrators at the doorsteps of coronavirus patients in home isolation.

Delhi reported 6,430 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours and the positivity rate dropped to 11%. The Capital has been seeing a dip in cases over the last few days.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on the coronavirus situation in the country and vaccination.

Modi took note of some reports that ventilators were lying unused in some states, the Prime Minister’s Office said. He ordered an immediate audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the Centre to the states.

In view of the surge in coronavirus cases, the West Bengal government ordered a complete lockdown from Sunday till May 30. The state had reported over 20,000 new coronavirus cases and 136 deaths on Friday.

Globally, the coronavirus has now infected 16.15 crore people and killed over 33.53 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University.