With more than 20.66 lakh tests conducted in the last 24 hours, India has set a new record of highest tests conducted in a day. Cumulatively, 20,66,285 tests were conducted in the country in the past one day, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. This is also the fourth successive day of more than 20 lakh tests in India. India on May 19 crossed the 20-lakh mark for the first time with 20,08,296 tests. 

Daily cases drop to 2.57L

With 2,57,299 fresh cases of Covid-19, India on Saturday witnessed the lowest rise in infection since April 21, even as 4,194 people died due to the pandemic in the last 24 hours. India’s overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,62,89,290 with 29,23,400 active cases. India registered record deaths (4,529) due to Covid on Wednesday—the highest number of fatalities from the infection in any country since the outbreak was reported in China’s Wuhan in December 2019. It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, fresh cases dropped below the 3 lakh-mark for the first time on May 17 after touching a record high of 4,14,188 on May 7.