India’s coronavirus infections rose by 346,786 overnight, the health ministry said on Saturday, setting a new world record for the third consecutive day, as overwhelmed hospitals in the densely-populated country begged for oxygen supplies. The government has deployed military planes and trains to get oxygen from the far corners of the country to Delhi. Local media reported fresh cases of people dying in the cities of Jaipur and Amritsar for lack of the gas. The Indian government had itself declared it had beaten back the coronavirus in February when new cases fell to all time lows. However, Covid-19 deaths across India rose by 2,624 over the past 24 hours, the highest daily rate for the country so far.

Source: The Express Tribune April 24, 2021 06:10 UTC