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Coronavirus pandemic
AsiaSouth Asia

Coronavirus: India sets record for virus cases with 379,000 new infections in 24 hours

  • India has now reported more than 18.3 million cases and 204,000 deaths, behind only the United States
  • The escalating crisis has spurred demand for flights out of the country, as the wealthy look to flee to places that have not imposed travel bans

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Healthcare workers transport the body of a person who died of Covid-19 at a cremation ground in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
SCMP’s Asia desk
India set another global record in new virus cases on Thursday, with an additional 379,257 people infected, as the country gears up to open its vaccination roll-out to all adults on Saturday.
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It came as the millions-strong Indian expatriate community in the UAE swamped private jet operators with requests to whisk them back to safety, amid reports India’s flag carrier plans to ramp up non-stop flights to the US as those with the means to do so seek to flee a catastrophic coronavirus surge.
India has now reported more than 18.3 million cases, behind only the United States. The health ministry on Thursday also reported 3,645 deaths in the last 24-hour period, bringing India’s total to 204,832. Experts believe both figures are an undercount, but it is unclear by how much.
Starting Wednesday, all Indians 18 and older were allowed to register on a government app for vaccinations, but social media were flooded with complaints the app had crashed due to high use, and once it was working again, no appointments were available.

A local official in Mumbai said the city had paused its vaccination drive for three days as supplies were running short, while officials said the worst-hit state of Maharashtra was likely to extend strict coronavirus curbs by another two weeks.

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India’s Covid-19 patients seek free oxygen at temple as country hits 200,000 coronavirus deaths

India’s Covid-19 patients seek free oxygen at temple as country hits 200,000 coronavirus deaths
On Friday last week, Canada joined Britain, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore in restricting travel from India – raising fears that the US may soon do the same. This, combined with a health care system crumbling under the weight of more than 300,000 new cases and 3,000 deaths every day, is fuelling a surge in demand for plane tickets out of the country.
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