India on Thursday set another grim record, registering 4,12,262 new coronavirus cases, its highest single-day infection count. With this, the overall case count climbed to 2,10,77,410 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. This is the second time after May 1 when the one-day infection count increased by over 4 lakh.
The toll climbed by 3,980 deaths to 23,01,68. This is also India’s highest-ever daily fatality count.
There are 35,66,398 active cases and 1,72,80,844 people have recovered from the infection. So far, India has administered 16,25,13,339 vaccine doses, giving 19,55,733 shots on Wednesday alone.
Various states in India are reporting a steep surge in daily cases and deaths. Maharashtra on Wednesday reported a record 920 new deaths and 57,640 new infections. The state tally rose to 48,80,542, including 6,41,596 active cases, 41,64,098 recoveries and 72,662 fatalities. Karnataka logged 50,112 fresh Covid-19 cases, which pushed the state’s overall count 17,41,046. The toll in the state rose to 16,884 after 346 deaths were recorded.
As cases continue to rise, K Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific advisor to the government, has warned that a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic was inevitable. He said that vaccines have to be “updated” to deal with new strains of the virus, along with further surveillance.
India’s healthcare infrastructure is under severe strain as the country battles the second wave of the pandemic. There is an acute shortage of medicines, beds and oxygen. Several states have also reported a shortage of vaccines to inoculate their residents. Amid this, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to allocate greater quantities of medical oxygen and vaccines to the states as Covid-19 infections and deaths continue to mount at an alarming rate.
Globally, the coronavirus has now infected 15.47 crore people and killed over 32.37 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 9.12 crore people have recovered from the infection.
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