India records 55,839 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours; Tally rises to 77 lakh

New Delhi, Oct 22: Union health ministry on Thursday said that as many as 55,839 new coronavirus infections were recorded in the last 24 hours, pushing India's caseload to above 77 lakh. The death toll climbed to 1,16,616 with 702 fatalities being registered in a span of 24 hours. The total coronavirus cases tally stands ar 7,706,946.

With 79,415 recoveries in a day, the tally crossed 6,874,518 lakh while active cases of coronavirus infection remained below 8 lakh for the fourth consecutive day.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 9,86,70,363 samples tested for COVID-19 up to 21st October. Of these, 14,69,984 samples were tested on Wednesday.

It can be seen that the total recovery rate has gone up to 89.19 per cent. There are 7,15,812 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 9.28 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

Meanwhile, noting that at least a couple of coronavirus vaccines could be available by early next year, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of investing in public health and primary healthcare.

Addressing the 15th JRD Tata Memorial Oration from Geneva, Swaminathan highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on education, violence against women, reproductive health and services.

"Of the lessons that I have learned over the last nine or ten months, the most important one is the importance of investing in public health and primary healthcare," she said.