India reports biggest COVID-19 spike of the year today

NEW DELHI: India reported its biggest highest daily COVID-19 infection rate of the year with 24,882 infections as a revival since last month continues.

According to health data, the new cases mark the highest in 24 hours since December 19, taking the overall caseload to 11.33 million, placing India in the third position after the United States and Brazil, which has recently overtaken India.

Since early February, India's COVID-19 deaths have increased by 140 to 158,446, compared to an average of around 100.

ALSO READ:Manipur: Handicrafts tool kits distributed among 1500 artisans

Even as the country begins to vaccinate its large population, India's caseload has been steadily declining since late September, but increased social gatherings and travel have caused a spike since early February.

Maharashtra, once again the epicenter of new cases in the country, has placed new lockdowns in several districts.

After a 60 percent increase in coronavirus cases in Nagpur, officials said on Friday that 3,000 police would be deployed to impose a week-long curfew and lockdown starting Monday.

Aiming to vaccinate a fifth of the country's 1.3 billion people by August, the government is running a nationwide immunisation campaign.