India reported 379,257 new infections and 3645 new deaths on Thursday, health ministry data showed, the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the start of the pandemic. However, while the second wave overwhelms the health system, the official death rate is below that of Brazil and the United States. India has reported 147.2 deaths per million, the Reuters global Covid-19 tracker shows, while Brazil and the United States reported figures of 1,800 and 1,700 respectively. Family members of U.S. government employees in India can voluntarily return to the United States, it added. The United States is sending supplies worth more than $100 million, including 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million N95 masks and 1 million rapid diagnostic tests, the White House said on Wednesday.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 29, 2021 17:37 UTC