NEW DELHI – India on Wednesday reported more coronavirus deaths in a single day than any other country at any time during the pandemic that began in the start of last year.
The South Asian country reported 4,529 deaths and 267,334 new COVID-19 case in a day, taking its tally to 25.5 million, the world’s second highest after the United States with a death toll of 283,248.
The previous record for most daily deaths from the coronavirus was set on Jan. 12 in the United States, when 4,475 people died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Some Indian health experts say infections and deaths could be five to 10 times higher.
There are fears that the new, highly infectious variant is out of control and that many cases are not being reported because of lack of testing, particularly in the vast countryside.
Hospitals have had to turn patients away while mortuaries and crematoria have been unable to cope with bodies piling up. Over the last month, India’s COVID-19 fatalities have jumped six-fold.
Criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dealing with the situation has been rising with every passing day.
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India’s vaccination drive is also faltering just at the time when it is needed the most. The number of daily administered doses has fallen by about half over the last six weeks, from a high of 4 million a day on April 2 to around 2 million or less this week. Many states say they don’t have enough vaccine to administer.
