India records third most coronavirus cases in the world

More than 17.05 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 666,411 have died, according to a media centre tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.

India has registered more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours for the first time. The record surge of 52,123 reported cases took the national total to 1,583,792 on Thursday.

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The Health Ministry also reported another 775 deaths in the past 24 hours, driving total fatalities up to 34,968.

The number of recoveries from the coronavirus in India has crossed 1 million.

People stand in a queue as a healthcare worker checks the temperature of a woman in Mumbai, India. File photo

India has reported the third most coronavirus cases in the world after the United States and Brazil.

The reported deaths from the virus in India, however, mark a far lower fatality rate than in the other two countries.

China is stepping-up testing for the coronavirus in an attempt to get a handle on new outbreaks that have defied the country’s considerable success in containing the virus that was first detected in Wuhan late last year.

In the northeastern city of Dalian, local authorities have issued a letter to citizens urging all 5.6 million of them to be tested following consecutive days of new cases being reported, largely in the single digits.

As of midnight Wednesday, samples had been collected from more than 4 million people in the scenic port city in Liaoning province and a second round of tests was being launched targeting people living in what have been categorised as high-risk areas.

People wearing masks walk on a bridge crossing Melbourne's Yarra River.File/AFP

Australia’s coronavirus hot spot of Victoria state is making mask wearing compulsory statewide after reporting a new daily high of 723 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Masks have been compulsory in the state capital of Melbourne and a neighboring semi-rural district for the past week. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said Thursday that masks or other face coverings will be compulsory for the whole state beginning late Sunday.

In addition, residents around the city of Geelong will not be allowed to have visitors in their homes beginning late Thursday.

The 723 new cases exceeded the previous high of 532 cases posted Monday. The state also reported a new daily high of 13 deaths.

Melbourne and neighboring Mitchell Shire are halfway through a six-week lockdown, which Andrews says could be extended.

Doctors do paperwork after treating members of the Warao tribe for symptoms of coronavirus in Manaus, Brazil.  File/AFP

Brazil’s health ministry has reported a daily record 1,595 deaths from COVID-19, though the rise partly resulted from the country’s most populous state reporting two days worth of deaths.

Brazil’s previous one-day record death toll was set June 4, with 1,473 fatalities. Deaths have been ticking upwards for five straight weeks as the coronavirus spread into new regions, with deaths averaging more than 1,000 each day.

Authorities say the populous state of Sao Paulo did not report COVID-19 deaths Tuesday because of a counting glitch. As a result, its tally of 713 deaths Wednesday included two days of deaths.

Brazil’s health ministry has recorded 90,134 deaths so far in the pandemic and more than 2.5 million confirmed cases. Those are the second highest totals in the world.