The number of new coronavirus cases in India hit a record daily high with over 2 lakh infections being reported in a day, while the active cases surpassed the 14- lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. With the new cases, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country rose to 1,40,74,564.

A total of 2,00,739 new COVID-19 cases have been registered in a span of 24 hours, while death toll increased to 1,73,123 with 1,038 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 3, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed. Registering a steady increase for the 36th day in a row, the active cases have increased to 14,71,877 comprising 10.46 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 88.31 per cent.