India’s new cases hit record again

NEW DELHI: New Covid-19 cases in India surged to a record of 152,879 yesterday as the country battled a second wave of infections by pushing for faster vaccinations, with some states considering tougher restrictions to slow the spread of the virus.

India leads the world in the daily average number of new infections reported, accounting for one in every six infections reported globally each day, according to a Reuters tally.

Daily cases have set record highs six times this week, according to data from the federal health ministry.

Deaths have also surged, with the federal health ministry reporting 839 fatalities yesterday — the highest in over five months — as hospitals and crematoriums in some parts of the country grappled with the worsening situation.

India’s tally of more than 13.35 million cases is the third-highest globally, behind only Brazil and the United States.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a four-day “Vaccination Festival” yesterday to push more eligible Indians to get a Covid-19 shot.

“During this time we have to move towards optimum utilization of the country’s vaccination capacity,” Mr Modi said in an open letter.

India has administered more than 100 million doses since the middle of January, the most after the US and China.

But several Indian states have complained of a vaccine shortage, despite immunisation being currently restricted to only about 400 million of India’s 1.35 billion people.

The second surge in infections has forced many states to impose fresh curbs.

The administration in Maharashtra state, which has the highest number of cases in the country, said it may impose additional measures beyond a weekend lockdown that will end today.