Since February 22-28 of this year, India has recorded the lowest weekly case count in over eight months. 

The dip came on the back of a big decline in cases in major Covid-hit states. Kerala logged 59,521 cases in the week (October 11-17), down 20.2 per cent from the previous week's tally. The state still accounted for 54 per cent of all new cases in the country.

Maharashtra saw an even steeper drop of 25 per cent, recording 13,825 new cases during the week, down from 18,523 in the preceding week. This was the sharpest decline in weekly cases in the state in over four months since May 31-June 6.

Andhra Pradesh saw a 28.3 per cent decrease in weekly instances, while Karnataka saw a 22.5 percent decrease. In Tamil Nadu, where instances have been gradually declining, there has been a 9.7 per cent decline in weekly infections.

Cases declined in Mizoram for the second week in a row, with the state reporting a 16.4 per cent decrease. Mizoram, with 6,770 new infections, remained the fourth highest case count in the country, after only Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu (8,827). Cases decreased in both Bengal and Odisha, while testing was hampered in Bengal owing to Durga Puja activities.

Meanwhile, 1,515 deaths were reported in the country last week, a 14.6 per cent decrease from the previous week's total of 1,776.