New Delhi: The coronavirus cases in India are on a massive rise as the country recorded 20,903 cases in the last 24 hours. The total COVID count in the country has reached 6,25,544 while the active cases stand at 2,27,439.  People recovered from the disease are 3,79,891, while over 18k people have succumbed to the virus according to the data provided by the health ministry. ALSO READ|ICMR Aims To Launch Indigenous Covid-19 Vaccine By August 15; Partners With Bharat Biotech To Fast-Track Project The surge in infections has taken the total case count in India past 6.25 lakh and the death toll touched 18,213 with 379 deaths in the last 24 hours. India's recovery rate has reached 60.7%  and the difference between recovered cases and active cases is now more than 1.5 lakh Worst affected states The worst hot state Maharashtra has crossed a million mark in testing with 10,20,368 Covid-19 tests conducted until Thursday. It crossed the one lakh mark in recording recoveries too. Till Thursday, 1,01,172 lakh people had been treated and discharged.
Entire Thane dist under 10-day lockdown The Thane collector on Thursday announced a 10-day lockdown beginning Friday in the entire district. The move comes after five municipal corporations in Thane district, including Thane Municipal Corporation, Mira Bhayander, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan Dombivali and Ulhasnagar, had announced a 10-day lockdown in view of the burgeoning Covid-19 cases in their areas.
With this move, seven of the nine municipal corporations abutting Mumbai have announced a lockdown. The total number of active cases in Tamil Nadu stands at 98,392 while the total recoveries in the state is 56,021. The national capital recorded 2373 new cases and the recovery rate of Delhi has reached 68.4% which is higher than the national average. India to get potential Covid-19 Vaccine by Aug 15th? The first made-in-India coronavirus vaccine may be launched by August 15, with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) fast-tracking efforts to develop "Covaxin" in partnership with Bharat Biotech International Limited. The institutes have been asked by the ICMR to step up clinical trials as it is a "priority project" monitored at the topmost level of the government. "The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune. ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the pre-clinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," the ICMR said in a letter to the institutes. "It is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials," said the research body.