COVID-19: India sees nearly 90,000 new cases

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) - India on Saturday registered nearly 90,000 new COVID-19 cases, very close to the country’s all-time from last September, Health Ministry figures showed.

For the last two weeks, 11 out of India’s 36 states and union territories have reported a very high rise in daily cases and daily mortality, causing “serious concern,” authorities said Friday.

Over 81% of the new cases come from just eight states, said the ministry.

On Saturday morning, the case tally reached nearly 12.4 million, including 89,129 additions. The death toll stood at 164,110, including 714 new fatalities over the last 24 hours.

The case tally is very close to the peak seen last September, when India reported over 90,000 per day. After that, up until January, cases had shown a gradual decline, with daily numbers reaching an eight-month low.

As cases continue to surge, many cities have imposed restrictions to stem the virus’ spread, including closing educational institutions. The badly affected western state of Maharashtra has not ruled out a lockdown.

On Friday, the ministry said that Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities along with "peri-urban areas" have seen the recent high rises in cases, calling this “worrisome.”

India is currently the third-worse coronavirus-hit country in the world, after the US and Brazil.