India reports major drop in coronavirus daily cases
Picture shown is for illustrative purposes only.
Gulf Today Report
The outbreak in India is slowing for the first time since the pandemic began as the country counted 45,674 new cases of the coronavirus, taking total cases to 8.5 million, health ministry data showed on Sunday.
Despite a series of religious festivals the number of new infections per day in India dropped sharply in October and November.
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A Delhi-based think tank, Dr K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, said that, India has also allowed on-demand testing, which may inflate test numbers of asymptomatic persons.
The number of new infections per day in India dropped sharply in October and November. File photo
Covid-related deaths also rose by 559 in this 24-hour period, taking India's overall coronavirus fatality numbers to 1,26,121.
India has the second-highest caseload in the world, behind the United States, which has 9.91 million cases.
The Hindu festival of lights, Diwali, falls this week, raising fears that one of the most social religious holidays on India's calendar could lead to a faster spread of infections.
