NEWDELHI, Oct 5, 2021 (BSS/PTI) - India logged 18,346 new coronavirus

infections, the lowest in 209 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases
to 3,38,53,048, while the active cases declined to 2,52,902, the lowest in
201 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

   The death toll climbed to 4,49,260 with 263 fresh fatalities, according to
the data updated at 8 am.

   The daily rise in new coronavirus infections have remained below 30,000
for 11 straight days.

   The active cases comprise 0.75 per cent of the total infections, the
lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was
recorded at 97.93 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said.

   A decrease of 11,556 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19
caseload in a span of 24 hours.

   India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30
lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It
went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on
October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on
December 19.

   India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on
June 23.