India recorded 12,213 fresh Covid cases in the last 24 hours, witnessing a 38.4% jump from 8, 822 cases recorded on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said on Thursday.

This is the first time since February that infections have crossed the 10,000-mark in a day.

"Single day rise of 12,213 new COVID-19 cases, 11 fatalities push India's infection tally to 4,32,57,730, death toll to 5,24,803," the ministry said. India's active COVID-19 caseload currently stands at 53,637, and accounts for 0.13 per cent of the total infections, it added, according to ndtv.com.

With 7,624 recoveries in the last 24 hours, the total recoveries have reached 4,26,74,712.

The daily positivity rate stands at 2.35 per cent while the weekly positivity rate at 2.38 per cent. The national recovery rate was 98.65 per cent.

The cumulative Covid vaccine doses administered across India has exceeded 195.67 crore.

Cases rise in Thane

Maharashtra's Thane district has added 852 new cases of coronavirus, raising its infection tally to 7,16,157, an official said on Thursday. "These new cases were reported on Wednesday," he said. On Tuesday, the district had recorded 607 new infections.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Wednesday said the spike in cases was restricted to certain districts in the state.

"The rise is seen in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Palghar and Raigad districts. Despite the spike in cases, the percentage of hospitalisation is 2 to 3 per cent," he said.

There was no fresh fatality and the death toll in Thane district stood at 11,896, and the COVID-19 mortality rate at 1.67 per cent, the official said.

2 cases of BA.5 variant

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported two cases of the BA.5 variant of coronavirus. Both the patients, found in Thane city, had been vaccinated, officials earlier said.

The state health department on Wednesday said four new cases of B.A.5 variant of coronavirus were detected in the state - from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune.

All four patients, who were in the age group of 19 to 36 years, tested positive for coronavirus between May 26 and June 9, and their condition was stable, it said.