India cases climb to 4.75M as recovery improves
Even as infections are growing faster in India than anywhere else in the world, the number of people recovering from the virus has also risen sharply.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 09:03 | 13 September 2020
- Modified Date: 09:03 | 13 September 2020
India has registered a single-day spike of 94,372 new confirmed coronavirus cases, driving the country's overall tally to 4.75 million.
The Health Ministry on Sunday also reported 1,114 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 78,586.
Even as infections are growing faster in India than anywhere else in the world, the number of people recovering from the virus has also risen sharply. The country's recovery rate stands at 77.77% and nearly 70,000 recoveries have been reported every day in the month of September, according to the Health Ministry.
The ministry attributed India's COVID-19 recovery pace to aggressive testing and prompt surveillance, but experts say India needs to test more due to its huge population. It's climbed to the second worst-hit country behind the United States, and is now testing more than 1 million people every day.
India's Parliament is expected to resume work on Monday with strict physical distancing. Parliament adjourned in March just before a nationwide lockdown was announced to contain the pandemic.
The harsh lockdown caused a severe economic crisis, with India's economy contracting nearly 24% in the second quarter, the worst among the world's top economies.