India's COVID-19 case tally crossed 54-lakh mark with a spike of 92,605 new cases and 1,133 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.
The total case tally stands at 54,00,620 including 10,10,824 active cases, 43,03,044 cured/discharged/migrated and 86,752, as per the Ministry.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and it went past 50 lakh on September 16. India is the second worst-hit nation in terms of COVID-19 cases after the US, while it is in the third spot in fatalities after the US and Brazil, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the cumulative total samples tested up to September 19 are 6,36,61,060. The number of samples tested on September 19 is 12,06,806.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the apex body at forefront of formulating the COVID-19 testing strategy on Saturday said that country's calibrated testing strategy has been a major arsenal in the fight against Coronavirus.
"India's calibrated testing strategy, formulation, and deployment of testing platforms at different levels for ease of testing have been major arsenal in the fight against COVID19. ICMR is committed to working towards ensuring that COVID-19 tests are accessible to everyone in the country," tweeted the ICMR.
Meanwhile, Serum Institute of India (SII) is all set to begin phase three trials of the Covishield Vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, the hospital administration said on Saturday. As per the official statement of the Sassoon General Hospital, currently, volunteer registration is going on for the trials.