NEW DELHI (INDIA) – India’s coronavirus infections saw a surge to more than a three-month high on Friday, triggered by a record daily increase in the western state of Maharashtra. Authorities in the state have taken to fresh curbs to contain the spread of the disease.
India’s overall tally of infections hit 11.51 million, which is the highest after the United States and Brazil. The country reported 39,726 new coronavirus cases on Friday, its highest since November 30.
Deaths increased by 154 to 159,370, data from the health ministry showed.
Maharashtra, which is home to India’s commercial capital Mumbai, reported record 25,833 cases, making for 65% of the country’s new infections in the past 24 hours. This marks the single highest daily case count in the state, since September 2020, when India was almost close to 100,000 cases a day.
The state health minister said they have sought 2 million vaccine doses per week from the federal government, aiming for the vaccination of 300,000 people per day.
“We are aggressively vaccinating people in the state,” Maharashtra’s health minister, Rajesh Tope, told reporters.
This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all leaders of states to scale up the ongoing nationwide vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating 300 million people by August.
Many Indians, including the leaders of a few states, are now urging for an expansion of inoculation drives to include the younger population.
The country, also the world’s biggest vaccine maker, has given away or sold 59 million locally produced doses overseas.
