Coronavirus death toll 16, number of cases 694 — Health ministry

New Delhi, March 26 (PTI): The death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 16 on Thursday and the number of positive cases increased by nearly 90 to 694, according to the health ministry.

In its updated figures at 8 pm, the ministry stated that 16 COVID-19 deaths were reported so far in the country.

According to the data, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 633, while 44 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated.

The total of cases reported till Wednesday was 606.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases so far at 124, including three foreign nationals, followed by Kerala, where the number of cases has climbed up to 118, including eight foreign nationals, according to the ministry data.

The number of cases in Telangana has gone up to 41, including 10 foreigners.

Karnataka has reported 41 Covid-19 cases, while the number of cases in Gujarat has climbed to 38, including a foreigner.

The number of cases in Rajasthan has increased to 38, including two foreigners. Uttar Pradesh has reported 37 cases, including a foreigner, while the number of positive cases in Delhi has gone up to 35, including a foreigner.

Punjab has reported 33 cases, while 30 Covid-19 cases have so far been detected in Haryana, including 14 foreigners.

The number of cases has climbed to 26 Tamil Nadu, including six foreigners. Madhya Pradesh has recorded 15 cases, Ladakh 13, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir have reported 11 cases each, while West Bengal has nine Covid-19 patients.

Chandigarh has reported seven cases so far and Uttarakhand five, including a foreigner.

Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have reported three cases each, while two cases have been detected in Odisha.

Goa has reported three coronavirus cases. Earlier, the ministry had wrongly attributed 33 cases to the coastal state. Subsequently, the figure was revised.

Puducherry, Mizoram and Manipur have reported one case each.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown for 21 days from Tuesday midnight, asserting in an emotional appeal “with folded hands” that unless India’s 130 crore people practised social distancing, the country will lose the war against the coronavirus outbreak and slide back 21 years.