India records 1.15 lakh new cases for the first time
India recorded over 1.15 lakh new Covid cases in the last 24 hours for first time since the beginning of the pandemic, setting an unprecedented, grim record during the second wave. The government said the next four weeks are “very, very critical”.
The 1,15,736 new infections have taken the country’s total cases to over 1.28 crore. 630 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total coronavirus death count in India to 1,66,177. India is the world’s third worst-hit country after the United States and Brazil.
The government on Tuesday said that vaccinations will not be opened up to a wider group anytime soon. “Why did we prioritise some groups over others? Because in this phase of vaccination (till around July), vaccines will be in limited supply,” Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told news agency ANI on Tuesday evening.
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are the five states with the highest rise in daily infections.
Maharashtra, the worst-hit state, reported over 55,000 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.