India’s new daily virus cases surpass 100,000 for first time
A poliacewoman distributes masks during an awareness campaign against the spread of coronavirus in Amristar, India, on Sunday. AFP
Gulf Today Report
India recorded its biggest single-day spike in confirmed coronavirus cases as its Health Ministry reported 103,558 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, topping the previous peak of 97,894 daily cases recorded in late September.
The officials in the hard-hit state home to Mumbai are returning to the closure of some businesses and places of worship in a bid to slow the spread.
Fatalities rose by 478, raising the country's death toll to 165,101.
The country’s daily infections have leapt about 12 fold since hitting a multi-month low in early February, when authorities eased most restrictions and people largely stopped wearing masks and following social distancing. More infectious variants of the virus may have also played a role in the second surge, some epidemiologists say.
India now has a seven-day rolling average of more than 73,000 cases per day and infections in the country are being reported faster than anywhere else in the world.
The biggest contributor to the surge has been the western state of Maharashtra, home to the commercial capital of Mumbai. The state has contributed more than 55% of total cases in the country in the last two weeks.
Deaths jumped by 478, still one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, raising the total to 165,101.
With 103,558 new infections, India has now reported 12.6 million cases, the highest after the United States and Brazil, data from the health ministry showed. India has recorded the most number of infections in the past week anywhere in the world.
Deaths jumped by 478, still one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, raising the total to 165,101.
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Maharashtra, India’s hardest-hit state, reported a record 57,074 new cases overnight.
The state will start shutting shopping malls, cinemas, bars, restaurants and places of worship from Monday evening. Authorities will also impose a complete lockdown at weekends, as experts worried about a shortage of critical-care beds in hospitals, especially in its smaller cities.
India’s previous daily high in cases was 97,894, hit in mid-September and after which infections had come down sharply, only to rise again starting late February as the economy reopened fully and new virus mutants spread.
