Daily COVID-19 deaths fall under 1,600 in India

India's daily fatalities linked to the novel coronavirus have fallen to under 1,600, with Health Ministry figures reporting 1,587 in the last 24 hours.

According to the ministry, the total death toll in the country now stood at 383,490, while total infections have reached 29.7 million, including 62,480 new cases since Thursday.

With cases and deaths now showing a decline in most parts of the country, authorities are lifting restrictions to allow more activities to resume. The famous Mughal-era Taj Mahal monument was opened to tourists earlier this week.

In May, India saw an exponential increase in cases during a devastating second wave, with daily infections and daily deaths surpassing over 400,000 and 4,500, respectively.

As of Thursday evening, the ministry noted that more than 268 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in India so far. Over 50 million people have been given the second dose, ministry data showed.

India has the second-highest coronavirus cases in the world after the US. The country stands third behind the US and Brazil in terms of deaths.