Health

India crosses 29 million total Covid-19 cases

New Delhi, Jun 9 (EFE).- India on Wednesday crossed 29 million Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, after recording fewer than 100,000 daily cases for the second consecutive day.

India remains the second most affected nation by the coronavirus after the United States, which has recorded some 33.3 million total cases so far.

According to the health ministry data, the South Asian country recorded 92,595 cases in the last 24 hours.

Although the number of cases was a little higher than the 86,498 recorded the previous day, it is a stark and welcome contrast to the more than 400,000 daily infections last month.

The peak of the virulent second wave in May led to a healthcare system collapse in several parts of the country with shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen.

The total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic now stands at 353,528, with 2,219 new deaths recorded in the last 24 hours.

This is again a significant drop from the 4,500 death reported regularly at the height of the second wave, which saw packed crematoriums and cemeteries in several parts of the country

Although the worst of the second wave appears to have passed, the authorities have repeatedly called urged the people not to let their guard down and stressed on the need to prepare against a possible third wave.

“When enough people are vaccinated or when we acquire natural immunity against the infection, then these waves will stop. The only way out is to strictly follow Covid appropriate behavior,” the director of public AIIMS hospital at New Delhi, Randeep Singh Guleria said Tuesday at a health ministry press conference.

India, with a population of more than 1.35 billion, is one of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world and sees its inoculation drive as the main solution to the Covid-19 crisis.

In the last 24 hours, the country administered 2.7 million doses of the vaccine, which is a significant improvement from recent weeks but still insufficient in its aim to vaccinate the entire adult population by the end of the year.

So far 239 million doses have been administered since the start of the vaccination drive in January, and only a little over three percent of the population have received both doses. EFE

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