India records highest daily spike in COVID-19 cases

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI (AA) - India registered 16,922 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, its highest single-day rise, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

The country recorded 418 more deaths during the same period.

The COVID-19 tally rose to 473,105, while the death toll reached 14,894, according to the ministry data.

Globally, India has the fourth highest number of infections following the US, Brazil, and Russia.

The capital New Delhi remains the worst-affected city with 70,390 cases, overtaking Mumbai.

However, among the states, Maharashtra continues to lead with 142,900 reported cases.

India has conducted 207,871 samples in the last 24 hours, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research. More than 7.5 million tests were conducted in the country by Wednesday.

The eastern state of Assam has launched a mental health support program for COVID-19 patients and quarantined people in the state to provide emotional support, counseling and treatment.

Meanwhile, the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai announced it will scrap all face-to-face lectures for the rest of the year due to the pandemic. The institute is the first major educational institution in the country to do so.

Globally, over 9.4 million people contracted the virus, with more than 482,100 deaths, and recoveries surpassing 4.72 million.