An Indian health worker helps another wear personnel protection equipment in Gauhati, India, on Wednesday. AP

India's number of coronavirus cases jumped by another 28,000 on Tuesday and are fast approaching 1 million.

The 28,498 cases reported in the past 24 hours took the national total to 906,752. Cases have jumped by 100,000 in four days.

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India becomes third hardest-hit country for coronavirus cases

The Health Ministry also reported another 553 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 23,727.

India has largely lifted its nationwide lockdown, and the virus has been spreading at a significant rate, prompting several big cities to impose partial lockdowns.

Relatives pray before the cremation of a woman, who died due to the coronavirus in New Delhi, India. Reuters

The southern city of Pune started a 10-day lockdown Tuesday in an attempt to break the chain of infections. Only essentials including milk shops, pharmacies, doctors’ clinics and emergency services will be allowed open.

Eight of India’s 28 states, including the worst-hit Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and New Delhi, account for nearly 90% of cases.

India is the third worst-affected country in terms of infections, only behind the United States and Brazil.

China said the number of people in treatment for COVID-19 in the country has fallen to just 297, with only three new cases of coronarvirus reported, all brought from outside the country. No new deaths were announced, leaving the total at 4,634 out of 83,605 cases of the disease. A pair of experts from the World Health Organization were in China on Monday to make arrangements for an investigation into how the pandemic may have spread after the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.

Associated Press