NEW DELHI, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- India's COVID-19 tally reached 9,906,165 on Tuesday as 22,065 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, said the latest data from the federal health ministry.

According to the data, the death toll mounted to 143,709 as 354 COVID-19 patients died since Monday morning.

Delhi has been one of the most COVID-19 affected places in the country. As many as 1,376 new cases and 60 deaths were registered in the national capital during the past 24 hours. On Monday the total death toll in the national capital had crossed the 10,000-mark.

There are 339,820 active cases in the country, while 9,422,636 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment, added the ministry's latest data.

Meanwhile, the federal government has ramped up COVID-19 testing facilities across the country, as more than 150 million tests have been conducted.

Till Monday a total of 155,560,655 tests were conducted, out of which 993,665 tests were conducted on Monday alone, said the figures released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday.

Due to the continued spell of COVID-19 pandemic, the country's Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to continue the suspension of international flights till the year-end.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said a COVID-19 vaccine could be ready in a few weeks, and that efforts were being made towards developing a perfect network for its distribution among the countrymen once the vaccine was ready.