India’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 200,000- Official data

India’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 200,000 on Wednesday as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies and hospital staff increased a record number of new cases of the virus.

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A total of 201,187 people have now died, 3,293 of them in the past day, according to health ministry data, although many experts suspect that the true toll is higher.

India has now reported 18 million infections, an increase of 360,000 in 24 hours, which is a new world record. This month alone the country has added almost six million new cases.

India’s second wave of COVID-19 infections has has recorded at least 300,000  new  a daily cases in the past week, overwhelming healthcare facilities and crematoriums and driving an increasingly urgent international response.

Experts believe the official tally vastly under-estimates the actual toll in the country of 1.3 billion.

MTO/Reuters