NEW DELHI

Daily novel coronavirus infections in India returned above the 50,000 mark on Thursday, relapsing after a recent decline to under 37,000.

According to an update released by the Health Ministry, a total of 50,210 cases were detected in the past 24 hours -- a 10-day record that raised the total to over 8.36 million.

Meanwhile, 704 more patients died of the disease, with the total coronavirus death count rising to 124,315.

Many cities, including the capital Delhi, are now reporting a large resurgence in new infections after a mid-September peak of above 90,000

Health officials say active cases have been on the rise in states like Manipur, Kerala, Delhi and West Bengal, when compared to last month.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said Wednesday that the recovery rate had surpassed 92% and that India was now seeing substantial improvements against the pandemic.