Records fall worldwide as COVID rages

Nations around the world set records Thursday for COVID-19 deaths and new infections, and the disease surged even in some countries that have kept the virus in check.

Brazil this week became just the third country, after the U.S. and

Peru, to report a 24-hour tally of COVID-19 deaths that exceeded 4,000. India hit a peak of almost 127,000 new cases in 24 hours, and Iran set a coronavirus infection record for the third straight day, reporting nearly 22,600 new cases.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to get vaccinated, tweeting: “Vaccination is among the few ways we have to defeat the virus. If you are eligible for the vaccine, get your shot soon.”

In India, home to 1.4 billion people, only 11 million are fully vaccinated. In Brazil, less than 3 percent of the country’s 210 million people have received both doses, according to Our World in Data, an online research site.

South Korea reported 700 more cases, the highest daily jump since Jan. 5. Health authorities were expected to announce measures to strengthen social distancing after a meeting Friday.

In Thailand, which has reported only 95 deaths during the pandemic, health officials reported the country’s first local cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in Britain.

The news comes at a time when only 1 percent of the population has been vaccinated and as Thais prepare to celebrate the traditional Songkran New Year’s holiday next week, typically a time of widespread travel.

That variant is more contagious, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that it is now the most common variant in the United States, raising concerns it will drive infections.