India: COVID-19 cases reach almost 1,000

India's coronavirus total count rose by 145 cases standing at 979 in the last 24 hours, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed

A total of 867 people, including 48 foreigners are under the treatment. Eighty-seven people recovered, while 25 died of the illness.

The country's Maharashtra and Kerala states record the most cases of infection, 186 and 182, accordingly. Capital city New Delhi confirmed 39 coronavirus cases.

Earlier, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed a nationwide lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged in late 2019 in China's Hubei province, and the virus has spread to over 199 countries and territories since then.

To date, over 664,000 COVID-19 cases have been reported around the globe, resulting in more than 30,000 deaths.

On February 11, the WHO officially named the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as Covid-19, and on March 11, declared it a pandemic.