A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a man at a market area in the old quarters of Delhi, India. File/Reuters

Gulf Today Report

India has recorded 19,556 new cases of the coronavirus, according to health ministry data on Tuesday, its lowest daily increase since July 3.

The new infections took India’s total to 10.08 million.

India is the world's second worst-hit country by the pandemic, trailing only the United States.

According to health officials, Mumbai's coronavirus deaths crossed the 11,000 mark on Monday, even as Maharashtra returned to a night curfew from December 22 amidst the scare of the new coronavirus strain in the UK.

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Of the state's total 8 circles, Mumbai circle (MMR) recorded 20 new deaths, taking its toll to 18,879 and with another spike of 846 new infectees, the total cases shot up to 649,911.

The new infections took India’s total to 10.08 million, according to a Reuters tally.

Daily cases have been falling steadily in India since a peak in September, in spite of a busy festival season last month. India has recorded the world’s second-highest number of infections, after the United States.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that the state government has beefed up its defences to tackle the situation, including imposing a night curfew in the jurisdiction of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and 26 other civic bodies for the next 15 days -- from December 22 till January 5.

Indian PM Narendra Modi's government has identified 300 million people to receive the first doses of the vaccines.

A total of 146,111 people have died of the coronavirus in India, with 301 deaths in the last 24 hours, the ministry said.