How total number of COVID-19 cases in India surged pass 18 million, more than half of the entire population of Ghana, about three times the population of Togo.
India has a new record in daily Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) infections with more than 379,257 cases recorded in the past 24 hours, figures from India’s Health Ministry showed on Thursday.
In addition, 3,645 people died as a result of the disease, the ministry said.
From May, all adults in India are to be able to get vaccinated.
When people were able to register online from Wednesday, the rush was so great that the servers of the registration website were overloaded at times, Indian media and many Twitter users reported.
Initially, vaccinations are to be available only after online registration.
But vaccines in India are in short supply given the large population of more than 1.3 billion even though India produces vaccines en masse and is known as the pharmacy of the world.
So far, less than 10 per cent of people have received at least one vaccine dose.
The fierce second wave has seen huge religious festivals and election campaign events in recent weeks, as well as a virus variant that is slightly more infectious and resilient to immunity, German virologist Christian Drosten stated.
The total number of infections has risen to more than 18 million in the populous South Asian nation. This figure is more than half of the entire population of Ghana (31 million); and about three times the entire population of Togo (8 million).
In addition, a total of more than 200,000 people have died in connection with COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
According to the World Health Organisation, 38 per cent of the COVID-19 cases reported worldwide earlier were from India.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister of India’s western state of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, on Thursday, tested positive for COVID-19.
Gehlot took to social media announcing he has contracted the infection.
He is currently in home isolation.
“On getting tested for COVID-19, today my report too came positive. I have no symptoms and feel fine. In obedience to the COVID-19 protocol, I am isolating myself and would continue to work from there,’’ Gehlot wrote on social media.
On Wednesday, Gehlot informed that his wife, Sunita Gehlot, is asymptomatic, and as per protocol, her treatment has started under home isolation.
India is witnessing resurgence in COVID-19 cases.
Federal Health Ministry on Thursday morning said 379,257 new cases and related 3,645 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours across the country.
