NEW DELHI â India crossed another grim milestone May 24Â with more than 300,000 people lost to the coronavirus, while a devastating surge of infections appeared to be easing in big cities but was swamping the poorer countryside.
India-West adds: Public health experts believe the death toll could be five times higher than reported numbers, surpassing more than one million.
The milestone, as recorded by Indiaâs Health Ministry, comes as slowed vaccine deliveries have marred the countryâs fight against the pandemic, forcing many to miss their shots, and a rare but fatal fungal infection affecting COVID-19 patients has worried doctors.
Indiaâs death toll is the third-highest reported in the world after the U.S. and Brazil, accounting for 8.6 percent of the nearly 34.7 million coronavirus fatalities globally, though the true numbers are thought to be significantly greater.
23 May 2021, 8:35 am
Doctors in India are fighting a fatal fungal infection affecting Covid-19 patients or those who have recovered from the disease amid a coronavirus surge that has driven the country’s fatalities to nearly 300,000.
The life-threatening condition, known as mucormycosis, is relatively rare but doctors suspect that the sudden increase in the infection could further complicate India’s fight against the pandemic.
India has reported more than 26 million confirmed cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began, with almost half occurring in the past two months.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported 3,741 new deaths, driving India’s confirmed fatalities to 299,266.