India has reported more than 400,000 coronavirus infections over the last 24 hours, while the number of dead from the virus rose to a record 3,980.
The South Asian nation’s tally has surged past 21 million cases, boosted by a record 412,262 new infections. The number of people who have died due to COVID-19 now totals 230,168, health ministry data showed on Thursday.
Many experts suspect that with low levels of testing and poor record-keeping for cause of death – and crematoriums overwhelmed in many places – the real numbers could be significantly higher.
A massive wave of infections since April has pushed India’s healthcare system to the brink, with people begging for oxygen cylinders and hospital beds on social media and news channels.