By Jenny Ortuoste
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise in India, as the Health Ministry on Thursday (April 29) logged 379,257 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing total cases to 18.3 million.
According to news service Anadolu, the death toll now stands at 204,832, including 3,645 new fatalities.
India set a new world record in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday (April 28), reporting 360,960 new infections in the past 24 hours, taking the overall figure to 17.99 million. The daily number of cases on Monday reached 352,991, and 323,144 new cases on Tuesday.
The country has recorded over 300,000 daily cases since April 22, pushing their health system to the limit.
India is struggling under an acute shortage of oxygen, medicine, and hospital beds. Cremation and burial services are severely strained, and makeshift cremation pyres are being set up to deal with the body count.
As the case count continues to climb, several Indian cities have been placed under lockdown, including the hard-hit capital New Delhi, which reported nearly 26,000 new cases and 368 deaths on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government opened Phase 3 of their vaccination program on Wednesday, and more than eight million people registered for vaccination in the first few hours.
The government has so far administered 160 million vaccine doses to its people.
Among the countries that have sent medical aid to India are Russia and the United Kingdom. On Thursday (April 29), Russia sent 20 tons of items including oxygen concentrators, bedside monitors, and medicine, while the UK sent emergency medical supplies last Tuesday. -jlo
