COVID-19: India tops 8.4M case mark

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI, India (AA) - India’s coronavirus cases Friday topped the 8.4 million mark after the country found 47,638 new infections in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said.

The country recorded 670 virus-linked deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 124,985.

According to the ministry, there are 520,773 active cases in the country with 7.76 million recoveries.

While India overall is witnessing a steady decline in cases, many cities, including the capital New Delhi, are seeing huge spikes in infections.

Officials in many states and cities, including New Delhi, have banned firecrackers as experts fear their use during festivals can increase pollution levels, thus putting people at risk.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said on Twitter that coronavirus cases are on the rise due to festival season and pollution, adding that they decided to ban firecrackers and ramp up medical infrastructure in public hospitals.