India added a record number of Covid-19 cases – nearly 35,000 – in the last 24 hours, breaching the one million mark.
It has the world’s third-largest case load, after the US and Brazil – the only three countries so far to record more than a million coronavirus cases.
India’s active cases account for about a third of its total tally as it has been reporting a high recovery rate and a low death rate from the virus.
But deaths have been rising. At 25,602, they are eighth-highest in the world.
India’s number of cases has been on the rise – with nearly record daily surges – in recent weeks. It overtook Russia earlier this month to occupy the third spot for the highest number of coronavirus cases globally.
Although India confirmed its first case at the end of January, the pandemic took hold slowly. Experts believe it was staved off to some extent because of an early decision by the government – in March – to stop all international flights and enter a strict lockdown that lasted nearly two months.
But the restrictions came at a devastating economic and human cost, and after India reopened at the end of June and testing increased, case numbers soared.
