India records 217,353 fresh Covid-19 cases in highest-ever daily spike
The number of new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in India hit a record daily hike on Friday, with 217,353 fresh infections reported in the last 24 hours.
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This was reported by the health ministry on Friday, it showed it marked the eighth record daily increase in the last nine days and took total cases to nearly 14.3 million.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours, the highest single-day rise in seven months to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
Deaths in India rose by 1,185 over the past 24 hours – the highest single-day rise in seven months – to reach a total of 174,308, the health ministry reported.
India has so far injected 115 million vaccine doses, the highest globally after the United States and China, but that covers only a small fraction of its 1.4 billion people.
In the heat of the latest wave of infections, India has shifted from being a mass vaccine exporter to a major importer.
Officials abruptly changed the rules to allow vaccine imports to be fast-tracked, having earlier rebuffed foreign drugmakers like Pfizer. It will import Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine starting this month to cover as many as 125 million people.
India is also seeking to inoculate more of its population using domestically produced shots.
MTO/Reuters
