Hundreds more people tested positive on Tuesday for the deadly coronavirus infection across the country with a large number of them having returned from other states or from abroad, even as officials said India's mortality rate has been very low and it has taken much longer here for the tally to hit the one-lakh mark than many other countries.

In its morning 8 AM update, the Union Health Ministry said the total number of confirmed cases has reached 1,01,139 and the death toll has risen to 3,163. This marked an increase of nearly 5,000 cases and 134 fatalities in a 24-hour period.

However, a PTI tally of figures announced by various states and union territories, as of 6.45 PM, showed a much higher number for the confirmed infections at 1,01,688.

More than 39,000 patients have recovered too, still leaving over 59,000 active cases in the country -- which is the seventh largest globally after the US, Russia, Brazil, France, Italy and Peru.

The Health Ministry said that for every one lakh population, there are 7.1 coronavirus cases in India so far, as against 60 globally.

Referring to data from the World Health Organisation, the ministry said 45,25,497 Covid-19 cases had been reported worldwide till Monday, which is about 60 cases per lakh population.

Among the countries with a very high load of coronavirus cases, the US, with 14,09,452 instances of the infection so far, has around 431 cases per lakh population. In the UK, this ratio is 494 cases per lakh and for Italy it is 372.

Officials also cited data about India having taken 64 days for the count of confirmed cases to increase from 100 to one lakh, which was more than double the time taken by countries like the US and Spain. According to the data sourced from the health ministry and Worldometers, the coronavirus infection cases increased from 100 to 1,00,000 in the US in 25 days, while it took 30 days for the cases to reach the 1 lakh-mark in Spain.

It took 35 days in Germany, 36 days in Italy, 39 days in France and 42 days in the United Kingdom for the coronavirus infection cases to rise from 100 to 1 lakh, respectively.

Reeling off further data, officials said India has so far an average of about 0.2 COVID-19 deaths per lakh population as against the global average of 4.1.

They further said a record number of 1,08,233 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Monday, taking the overall count of tests to more than 24 lakh.

While the total count of tests in India is estimated to be the seventh largest in the world, after the US, Russia, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK, the country ranks much lower at 139th place in terms of tests per million population, as per data website Worldometer.

The countries having done more tests than India per million population include Russia, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Norway, Switzerland, UK, Germany, US, Canada, France and Sweden.

As per the latest data, more than 48 lakh people worldwide have tested positive for the deadly virus ever since its emergence in China last December, while nearly 3.2 lakh have lost their lives. Over 18 lakh have recovered too.

More than 15 lakh cases have been reported in the US alone, while over 90,000 have died there.

There are concerns that some parts of the country, including in Kerala, Goa and North-East, are seeing the second or third phase of the virus outbreak as they had almost flattened the curves till a few days ago before people from other states or countries started arriving there.

Kerala on Tuesday recorded 12 more COVID-19 cases, all being returnees from overseas and other states, taking the total active patients to 142. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the rise was expected but asserted community transmission has not happened so far.

All those who tested positive had come from outside the state -- four from abroad and eight from other states, including six from Maharashtra, Vijayan told reporters.

With the flow of people from various countries and other states, as expected, positive cases have begun to rise in Kerala, the chief minister said.

Since May 7, when the first repatriation flight from the Gulf landed, several people from Kerala who returned home after being stranded in foreign countries and in other states such as Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which have a high number of Covid-19 cases, have tested positive. On Monday too, as many as 28 returnees had tested positive.

In Manipur too, a woman and her daughter tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from Delhi, officials said.

Uttar Pradesh also saw 142 more people testing positive for Covid-19, taking its tally to 4,748.

The national capital recorded 500 more cases, taking its tally to 10,554, while its death toll has now risen to 166.

Maharashtra, the worst-affected state, reported 2,100 fresh cases, taking its overall tally to 37,158, state's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

In Assam, 20 people tested positive, taking the total number of cases in the state to 135. All the new patients were in different quarantine centres across districts. These included people having returned from Chennai and Darjeeling.

Karnataka recorded its biggest ever single-day rise with 127 new cases. Of these, 91 have inter-state travel history from neighboring Maharashtra, the state government said.

At least two Covid-19 related deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh, taking the toll to 52, while 57 more tested positive to take the total number of infections in the state to 2,489. Fresh cases include those linked to the Koyambedu market in Chennai, which has become a major hotspot of the deadly virus infection.

Heath workers spray disinfectants at an auto spares market anticipating a partial reopening during the nationwide lockdown in New Delhi, Monday, May 18, 2020. AP

Rs 16,000 crore transferred to accounts of poor, labourers: MP CM

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said despite the state's economy collapsing' due to Covid-19 outbreak, the government has transferred over Rs 16,000 crore into the accounts of the poor, labourers and farmers to ease their hardships.

In a televised address on Monday night, Chouhan also said that migrant labourers need not worry as arrangements were being made to send them home by buses and trains.

'The state's economy has collapsed due to coronavirus, but we have transferred more than Rs 16,000 crore into the poor, labourers, farmers, children, among others, so that no section of the society has to face any problem,' he said.

He said more than 91 trains and thousands of buses have been deployed to transport migrant workers to their native places.

'The government is also making arrangements for their food, ration and jobs. Labourers without ration cards are also being given free ration. Job cards are being made available to those labourers who want to work. The government has decided that these labourers will be eligible for (benefits under) the Sambal Yojna, Chouhan said.

The Sambal Yojna is aimed at strengthening the lives of poor by providing them social security cover.

39 lakh masks made by Chhattisgarh self-help groups

Women self-help groups in Chhattisgarh have so far produced over 39 lakh face masks and nearly 10,000 litres of hand sanitisers to cater to the increased demand of these items following the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Tuesday.

Nearly 7,625 women from 2,165 self-help groups (SHGs), associated with the government-run Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihood Mission, are engaged in preparing masks in 27 districts of the state since last two months, the mission's chief operating officer Alice Lakra told PTI.

The process was started in the last week of March, just after the lockdown was enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Till Monday, these SHGs have made 39,08,811 masks. Out of this, maximum masks were manufactured in Koriya district (4,10,290), followed by Rajnandgaon (3,74,943), Bemetara (3,50,705) and Gariaband (3,12,550), Lakra said.

These masks are being supplied to the health department, municipal corporation, police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and other government departments, and also being sold in open markets in several places at affordable prices of Rs 10 to Rs 20 each, she said.

Besides, the masks are being provided to labourers engaged in work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and forest dwellers involved in tendu leaves collection, she said.

A mural is seen painted on the steps of a police station as stranded migrant workers wait to register for a special train to their native destination during extended lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Bangalore, Monday, May 18, 2020. AP

India records 0.2 deaths per lakh population compared to global figure of 4.1

India has so far about 0.2 Covid-19 deaths per lakh population as against the global figure of 4.1, the Union health ministry said as the number of fatalities due to coronavirus infection in the country rose to 3,163 on Tuesday and the total cases reached 1,01,139.

Also, a record number of 1,08,233 samples were tested for Covid-19 on Monday in the country. So far a total of 24,25,742 samples have been tested, the ministry said.

Referring to data from WHO situation report-119, the ministry said 3,11,847 Covid-19 mortalities have been reported till Tuesday worldwide which is about 4.1 deaths per lakh population.

Among the countries with high Covid-19 casualties, the US with 87,180 fatalities has 26.6 deaths per lakh population. The UK has reported 34,636 deaths and has approximately 52.1 deaths per lakh population, it said.

Italy with 31,908 instances of coronavirus fatalities so far has around 52.8 deaths per lakh population. France has so far reported 28,059 casualties which is about 41.9 deaths per lakh population while Spain with 27, 650 fatalities has about 59.2 deaths per lakh.

Germany, Iran, Canada, Netherlands and Mexico with 7,935 deaths, 6,988 deaths, 5,702 deaths, 5,680 deaths and 5,045 fatalities have a mortality of around 9.6, 8.5, 15.4, 33.0 and 4.0 per lakh population respectively.

China, which so far has recorded 4,645 casualties due to Covid-19 so far has approximately 0.3 deaths per lakh population.

'The relatively low death figures represent timely case identification and clinical management of the cases,' the ministry said.

On testing, it said from one laboratory conducting Covid-19 test in January, India has very rapidly increased its capacity by adding over 385 government laboratories and 158 private laboratories.

'Duly forging partnerships with all central government labs, state medical colleges, private medical colleges and private sector, the testing capacity in the country has been expanded,' the ministry said.

Other testing machines like TrueNAT and CBNAAT have also been mobilised to ramp up testing.

Through 14 AIIMS-like mentor institutions, handholding of labs across the country is undertaken to ensure adequate bio-safety standards and accreditation of the laboratories, the ministry said.

To maintain steady supply of testing material to the labs, 15 depots have been created by roping in India Post and private agencies for distribution.

Many Indian companies have been supported to undertake production of testing material which was earlier primarily sourced from abroad.

'This has helped in maintaining steady supplies across the country,' the ministry said.