Nearly 550 cases in the last 24 hours, ending Thursdaymorning, have taken the total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases inIndia past 5,700. The death toll has climbed to 166 with 17 deaths recorded inthe last 24 hours across the country.

In its updated figures at 8 am, the Union Health Ministrysaid while the number of active Covid-19 cases is 5,095, as many as 472 peoplehave wither been cured or discharged and one had migrated.

The highest number of confirmed cases in the country is fromMaharashtra at 1,135, followed by Tamil Nadu at 738 and Delhi at 669 cases. Thecases have risen to 427 in Telengana, while Rajasthan has 381 cases.

Uttar Pradesh has 361, while Andhra Pradesh reported 348coronavirus cases. Kerala has reported 345 COVID-19 cases so far.

Novel coronavirus cases have risen to 229 in Madhya Pradesh,181 in Karnataka and 179 in Gujarat.

Jammu and Kashmir has 158 cases, Haryana 147, West Bengal103 and Punjab 101. Odisha has reported 42 coronavirus cases.

Thirty-eight people were infected with the virus in Bihar,while Uttarakhand has 33 patients and Assam 28. Chandigarh and Himachal Pradeshhave 18 cases each, while Ladakh has 14 positive patients so far.

Eleven cases have been reported from the Andaman and NicobarIslands, while 10 were reported from Chhattisgarh. Goa has reported sevenCovid-19 cases, followed by Puducherry at five.

Jharkhand has reported four cases, while Manipur, Tripura,Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported one case each. 17 DEATHS IN LAST 24HOURS

On Thursday, eight deaths were reported from Maharashtra,three from Gujarat, two from Jammu and Kashmir and one each from Punjab, UttarPradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it said.Maharashtra has reported the mostcoronavirus deaths at 72, followed by Gujarat at 16, Madhya Pradesh at 13 andDelhi at 9. Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported eight fatalities each whileTelengana has reported seven deaths.

West Bengal and Karnataka have registered five deaths each.Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh have reported four deathseach while Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each.

Two deaths have been reported from Kerala. Bihar, HimachalPradesh and Odisha reported one fatality each, according to the health ministrydata.The death toll on Wednesday evening was 149.

However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various statesas on Wednesday late evening showed at least 181 deaths.

There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures,compared to the number of deaths announced by different states, which officialsattribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.