Outbreak ground report from India's top five coronavirus clusters

Belying hopes that India may not suffer the same fate as Italy and Spain, the number of novel coronavirus cases has started leaping in the country. Between March 15 and March 25, the number of positive cases across India grew more than five times.

But the spread of the virus has not been uniform throughout the country. Some states have been more susceptible to the spread, while some have managed to remain corona-free. Then there have been states like Gujarat which remained infection-free for some time and then suddenly saw a spike. Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, has seen a steady accumulation of cases.

Maharashtra seems to be the epicentre of the virus in the country, with well over 120 cases. The state also leads in the number of fatalities with four deaths.

Here are the most affected states:
1. Maharashtra: There has been a steady growth in cases in the state, with the cases being largely concentrated in urban Mumbai and Pune. Till Tuesday, 2,988 people were admitted to isolation wards of hospitals since January 18, while 932 persons were in hospital quarantine for suspected exposure to the virus.

As many as 14,502 people were put under home quarantine. With 128 positive cases, 1 infected person has also been cured and discharged.

2. Kerala: The state reported 9 new cases on Wednesday, taking the total count to 118, including six discharged. The state has seen a hockey-stick rise in the number of cases, with the first case of the country also being reported from the state.

With many states across the country sounding the alarm over the shortage of testing kits, Kerala has been conducting the most number of tests. Of the total 118 virus-infected cases, 91 are NRIs, who have returned from overseas, 8 are foreign nationals and 19 have got infected through local contact. 12 persons have recovered completely.

3. Karnataka: Karnataka, is the third most affected state, with 51 positive cases. The cases saw a sharp spike since March 21, with the number tripling since then. 8 districts of the state have been affected. As many as 32 cases from total 51 are from Benglauru and five are from Dakshina Kannada district.

4. Gujarat: Gujarat is one of the states that managed to remain covid-free for a long time, with cases quadrupling from March 21 to MArch 23.

The state has had a total of 38 positive cases as on Wednesday - Ahmedabad being the worst affected with 14 cases, seven each in Surat and Vadodara, six in Gandhinagar, three in Rajkot and one in Kutch.

Gujarat has also reported two casualties.

5. Uttar Pradesh: Cases in Uttar Pradesh rose to 37, including a foreigner. The state has seen a steady rise in infectious cases, with Lucknow, Agra and Gautam Budhha Nagar reporting the most number of cases (8).

As per latest data, 9 people have recovered in the state.

The National Capital Region has reported almost 100 cases, with Delhi having reported 31 cases and 1 casualty. Cases in Punjab seem to have plateaued. Cases grew ten times, from 2 to 21, over two days between March 20th to March 22nd, but since then Punjab has reported only 8 more cases. One person has died in the state.

As of March 25, 2 out of 3 states have reported coronavirus cases, with Maharashtra and Kerala being the key clusters. India went under complete lockdown from midnight on March 25 to curb the further spread of coronavirus.