Coronavirus disease cases in India are rising at a rate not seen since May last year, and the daily infections in two states have already hit record highs, indicating that the country’s second wave may be worse than the first wave despite the ongoing vaccination drive.
India on Thursday reported 59,074 new Covid-19 infections, the highest in a single day since October 17, or in 159 days, as the country’s second Covid-19 wave continued to push daily case numbers up to levels not seen since the first wave was brought under control last November.
The daily infection trajectory in two states — Maharashtra and Gujarat — has already surpassed the peaks of their first wave, and a third state, Punjab, is perilously close to crossing its previous peak.
Data analysed by HT also shows that the Indian outbreak has again started spreading geographically. This spread, measured by counting districts reporting at least one new case in the past week, fell to a nine-month low of 447 on February 19. Since then, these districts have been rising again and this number stood at 550 by March 23.