India sets Covid-19 infection record for fourth straight day

India has set a new world record as the country with the highest rise in COVID-19 infections in the past four days as hospitals become desperate for oxygen to cater for an increased number of infected persons.

According to government and scientific tallies, as at Monday, there were a reported 349,691 new cases of Covid-19 recorded, making it the fourth day in a row the country has set a world record for daily infections during the coronavirus pandemic.

The country also reported its highest daily death toll for the ninth consecutive day, adding 2,767 fatalities in the past 24 hours, forcing regional authorities to embark on a mass cremation as they could no longer afford spaces for burials.

The country of 1.3 billion people has logged over a million new cases in the past three days, bringing its pandemic totals up to 16.9 million recorded cases of the coronavirus, including 192,311 deaths.

The sky-rocketing Covid-19 infections are devastating India’s communities and hospitals, according to India’s health minister.

“Everything is in short supply – intensive care unit beds, medicine, oxygen and ventilators. Bodies are piling up in morgues and crematoriums, and authorities have been forced to hold mass cremations at makeshift sites,” he said.