06/07/2020 04:06 PM
By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, July 6 -- India has become the third most coronavirus-infected country, surpassing Russia, with the number of recorded cases reaching nearly 700,000.
Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad are among the worst affected cities, and hospitals treating Covid-19 patients have come under pressure due to a surge in new cases.
The state of Maharashtra has more than 206,000 cases, followed by 111,000 in Tamil Nadu, about 100,000 cases in Delhi and 36,000 in Gujarat, according to figures released by the Ministry of Health on Monday.
The number of cases went up by 24,248 in the previous 24 hours while the death toll increased by 425 to 19,693, the ministry said.
India has witnessed a big rise in infections over the past few days and now it is behind only Brazil and the United States in the total number of recorded cases.
Delhi opened a 10,000-bed special facility, managed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) paramilitary force, to treat Covid-19 patients as the city's healthcare infrastructure is under strain due to the jump in cases.
As government efforts to manage the pandemic intensify, India's top drug regulator has approved human trials for two vaccines being developed by local companies.
-- BERNAMA
