By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI, India

India’s coronavirus tally crossed the 3 million case mark, the country health ministry said Sunday.

The country crossed that mark just 16 days after the number of cases crossed 2 million.

An update released by the health ministry showed the death toll stands at 56,706. In the last 24 hours, the country recorded close to 70,000 new cases.

Ministry figures show the western state of Maharashtra reported the highest number of cases in the country.

While the number of cases rise rapidly, India is also scaling a new peak in the recoveries of patients, according to the health ministry. It is adding more than 50,000 infections daily since late July.

“India has achieved another milestone as it recorded the highest ever single day recoveries of 63,631 in the last 24 hours. With this high number of COVID-19 patients recovering and being discharged from the hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), the Recovery Rate has reached 74.69%,” according to a government statement.

The health ministry tweeted Sunday that the key to India's success in the fight against COVID-19 is “consistently and sharply rising recoveries and Recovery Rate.”

“Early identification through aggressive testing, comprehensive surveillance & contact tracing along with focus on timely and efficient clinical treatment of patients have ensured high number of speedy recoveries,” it said.

With the number of COVID-19 cases steadily increasing, India is approaching pandemic figures similar to Brazil, ranked second in the world in infections and deaths.

Experts warn that India may surpass the US -- the worst-affected country -- in the severity of the pandemic.