India recorded new 31,923 cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 282 deaths due to the infection in the past 24 hours. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry on Thursday, the country saw a total of 31,990 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery rate at around 97.77 per cent and total recoveries to 3,28,15,731.The total active cases of COVID-19 in India slightly dipped to 3,01,640, the ministry data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 4,46,050. In India, the first death due to COVID pandemic was reported in March 2020.According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 55,83,67,013 samples have been tested up to September 22 for COVID-19. Of these 15,27,443 samples were tested on Wednesday.Meanwhile, Kerala on Wednesday reported 19,675 fresh COVID-19 cases and 142 deaths, which took the caseload to 45,59,628 and fatalities to 24,039.The number of people who recovered from the infection since Tuesday was 19,702, which brought the total recoveries to 43,73,966 and the number of active cases to 1,61,026, an official press release said. As many as 1,19,594 samples were tested in the last 24 hours, the release said.Among the 14 districts, Ernakulam recorded the highest with 2,792 cases, followed by Thiruvananthapuram (2,313), Thrissur (2,266), Kozhikode (1,753), Kottayam (1,682), Malappuram (1,298), Alappuzha (1,256), Kollam (1,225), Palakkad (1,135), Pathanamthitta (1,011), Kannur (967) and Idukki (927), it said.Of the new cases, 104 were health workers, 52 from outside the state and 18,924 infected through contact, with the source of it not clear in 595 cases.
