India’s daily rise in coronavirus cases drops to 257,299
Relatives carry the body of a man who died from the coronavirus disease.
Gulf Today Report
India on Saturday reported 257,299 new coronavirus infections, the lowest rise in infection since April 21, even as 4,194 people died due to the pandemic in last 24 hours, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
Total infections in the country stood at 26.3 million while the country's total death toll was at 295,525, according to data from the health ministry.
A health worker checks the body temperature of a passenger at a railway station.
India's overall tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 2,62,89,290 with 29,23,400 active cases and 2,95,525 deaths so far.
According to the Health Ministry, a total of 3,57,630 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, with 2,30,70,365 being cured from Covid till date.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 32,64,84,155 samples have been tested up to May 21 for Covid-19. Of these 20,66,285 samples were tested on Friday.
India registered record deaths due to Covid on Wednesday with 4,529 deaths -- the highest number of fatalities from Covid infection in any country since the coronavirus outbreak was reported in China's Wuhan in December 2019.
It surpassed 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12, and earlier 4,211 in Brazil on April 6. These three are the worst-hit by the pandemic.
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After battling a brutal second wave for weeks, fresh Covid cases came down below the three lakh-mark for the first time on May 17 after touching record high of 4,14,188 on May 7.
The United States and several European nations have started to ease restrictions this week following successful vaccination campaigns, but the pandemic continues to worsen in many parts of the world.
Among the most devastating of those waves is in India, where the death and infection rates have been rising exponentially throughout April.
About 9% of India's population have received one dose since the vaccination campaign began in January with health workers and then the elderly.
The second wave of infections has overwhelmed hospitals and crematoriums and prompted an increasingly urgent response from allies overseas sending equipment.
