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Global Covid cases surge past 304 million
Amid the global scare over the rising Omicron cases, the overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 304 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 304,858,775 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,484,079 Sunday morning.
The US has recorded 59,766,818 cases so far and more than 837,262 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Hospitalisations of US children under five with Covid-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine, reports AP.
The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to help protect those around them, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since mid-December, with the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading furiously around the country, the hospitalisation rate in these youngest kids has surged to more than four in 100,000 children, up from 2.5 per 100,000.
READ: Covid-19: Bangladesh logs 1,116 more cases, 1 death
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 22,328,252 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 619,654.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 35,368,372 on Sunday, as 141,986 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 327 more deaths were recorded since Saturday morning, taking the death toll to 483,790.
In India, 3,071 cases of Omicron variant were reported till Sunday morning of which 1,203 have recovered or migrated.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported another Covid-linked death and 1,116 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning, said health authorities.
With the detection of fresh cases after testing 19,275 samples, the daily-case positivity rose to 5.79 per cent from Friday’s 5.67 per cent during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,099 while the caseload mounted to 15,92, 209.
The mortality rate declined a bit to 1.76 per cent during the period from Friday’s 1.77 per cent.
Meanwhile, the recovery rate further declined to 97.39 per cent with the recovery of 154 more patients during the 24-hour period.
READ: Covid-19: Indian man has taken at least eight Covid jabs
Bangladesh is currently seeing a surge of Covid-19 cases as health authorities logged 6,670 infections in last eight days since January 1.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 21 with detection of 11 cases on Friday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
Global Covid cases surge past 302 million
Amid the global scare over the rising Omicron cases, the overall number of coronavirus cases has now surged past 302 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 302,679,314 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,478,980 Saturday morning.
The US has recorded 59,166,756 cases so far and more than 836,477 people have died from the virus in the country, the university data shows.
Hospitalisations of US children under five with Covid-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine, reports AP.
The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to help protect those around them, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since mid-December, with the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading furiously around the country, the hospitalisation rate in these youngest kids has surged to more than four in 100,000 children, up from 2.5 per 100,000.
READ: Global Vaccine Alliance, Bharat Biotech in talks over Covaxin use: Report
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January last year, registered 22,328,252 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 619,654.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 35,226,386 on Friday, as 117,100 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the health ministry's latest data.
Besides, 302 more deaths were recorded since Thursday morning, taking the death toll to 483,178.
Situation in Bangladesh
Amid a new surge in the virus, Bangladesh reported another Covid-linked death and 1,146 fresh cases in 24 hours till Friday morning, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the detection of fresh cases after testing 20,890 samples, the daily case positivity rose to 5.67 percent from Thursday’s 4.86 percent during the period, according to the directorate.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,098 while the caseload mounted to 15,91,093.
The mortality rate remained static at 1.77 percent during the period.
READ: Global Covid cases near 300 million
Besides, the recovery rate further declined to 97.45 percent with the recovery of 170 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Bangladesh is currently seeing a surge of Covid-19 cases as health authorities logged 5,557 infections in the last seven days till Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s total tally of Omicron cases reached 20, with the detection of 10 cases on Friday, according to GISAID, a global initiative on sharing all influenza data.
Bangladesh’s daily cases last crossed 1,100 on September 29, 2021, with the registering of 1,178 cases and 17 deaths.
On December 9 last year, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic was apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Bangladesh logged the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 last year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 last year.
Global Covid cases top 274mn as Omicron set to trigger a huge wave
Amid a global scare over Omicron, the new strain of Covid-19, the overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 274 million.According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 274,184,518 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,349,691 till Sunday morning.The US has recorded 50,772,786 cases to date and more than 806,265 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
READ: Global Covid cases top 273 million
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,204,941 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 617,395.India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,740,275 on Sunday and deaths from the pandemic since Saturday morning took the total death toll to 477,422. Till Saturday, 126 cases of the Omicron variant were reported in India.Situation in BangladeshBangladesh’s Covid-19 daily case positivity rate dropped to 0.87 per cent with the logging of 122 fresh cases and 4 more deaths in 24 hours till Saturday morning.On Friday, the daily-case positivity rate stood at 1.17 per cent registering 191 new cases.The total fatalities rose to 28,047 while the caseload mounted to 15,80, 872 with the fresh ones, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).Three of the latest fatalities were men and another was a woman.Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent during the period.The fresh cases were detected after testing 13,971 samples, said the DGHS.Besides, the recovery rate increased a bit to 97.76 per cent with the recovery of 144 more patients during the 24-hour period.
READ: Global Covid cases near 273 million
On December 9, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic is apparently showing signs of easing.The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.So far, 15,45, 403 Covid-19 infected people have recovered.Booster dose in BangladeshCovid-19 booster doses will be administered to health workers on trial basis from Sunday, said Dr Abu Hossain Md Mainul Ahsan, the Civil Surgeon of Dhaka district.“Initially, the booster doses will be administered on a low scale as a caution. After observing the effects of the vaccine for a few days, it’ll be rolled out for others,” Dr Mainul Ahsan told journalists on Saturday in a virtual briefing.Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday said the booster doses will be rolled out from the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) at city’s Mohakhali from Sunday morning.Dr Mainul Ahsan said, “Following the health minister’s directive, we’re ready to start administering the shots from tomorrow. There’ll be no shortage of jabs.”Dr Ahsan went on saying, “Initially, doctors, nurses and health workers will get the doses, and senior citizens will get it in the next phase, keeping their comorbidities in mind.” said the Civil Surgeon.He said the announcement to administer the Covid-19 booster dose depends on the capability and the vaccine supply.As the country’s vaccine supply reached the maximum level, Dr Ahsan said, the government has now decided to administer a third booster dose followed by the first and second ones.
Global Covid cases cross 269 mln amid scare over Omnicorn strain
Amid a global scare over Omnicorn, a new strain of Covid-19, the overall number of coronavirus cases has surged past 269 million.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 269,693,236 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,301,185 till Sunday morning.
The US has recorded 49,884,587 cases to date and more than 797,179 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, registered 22,177,059 cases as of Friday, while its Covid death toll rose to 616,457.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,682,736 on Friday as 7,990 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Besides, as many as 393 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Friday morning, taking the total death toll to 475,128.
READ: Global Covid cases top 269 million
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported five more Covid-related deaths along with 177 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning amid the entry of its new variant, Omicron.
Bangladesh on Saturday reported the first two cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus.
With the latest cases, the daily-case positivity rate declined to 1.13 per cent from Friday’s 1.34 per cent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The total fatalities mounted to 28,022 while the caseload mounted to 15,78, 996, with the number of fresh cases.
READ: Global Covid cases top 268 million
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent during the period.
On Thursday, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic is apparently showing signs of easing.
Global Covid cases near 261 million amid Omicron concerns
The overall global number of Covid cases is fast approaching 261 million as the new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total case count mounted to 261,026,727 while the death toll from the virus reached 5,194,353 Sunday morning.
The US has recorded 48,201,840 cases to date and more than 776, 571 people have died so far from the virus in the country, as per the university data.
Brazil, which has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, has registered 22,076,863 cases so far, while its Covid death toll rose to 614,186.
India's Covid-19 tally rose to 34,563,749 on Saturday, as 8,318 new cases were registered in 24 hours across the country, as per the federal health ministry data.
Besides, another 465 deaths due to the pandemic were reported since Saturday morning, taking the total death toll to 467,933.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported two more Covid-linked deaths along with 155 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
On Friday, the country registered two Covid-related deaths and 239 cases.
With this, the daily-case positivity rate increased to 1.15 per cent from Friday’s 1.49 per cent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
With the fresh numbers, the total fatalities rose to 27,975 while the caseload mounted to 15,75,579.
Among the latest deceased, one was a woman and another man -- both were from Dhaka division.
However, the mortality rate remained static at 1.78 per cent.
READ: Global Covid cases near 261 million
The fresh cases were detected after testing 13,462 samples, the DGHS added.
Besides, the recovery rate stood at 97.74 per cent with the recovery of 188 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On November 20, Bangladesh logged this year’s first zero Covid-linked deaths with 178 cases.
Public health experts have, however, warned that the current downward trend of Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh could well be the obvious calm before a cataclysmic storm.
Their fear centres around children below 12 who remain out of the vaccine coverage and the elderly people, according to the experts.
READ: Global Covid cases near 260 million
The experts fear a slow pace of vaccination, waning vaccine immunity, sheer disregard for Covid safety protocols, reopening of schools and increased travel may set the stage for another Covid wave in Bangladesh -- a trend many European countries are witnessing now.
COVID-19′s global death toll tops 5 million in under 2 years
The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 5 million on Monday, less than two years into a crisis that has not only devastated poor countries but also humbled wealthy ones with first-rate health care systems.
Together, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Brazil — all upper-middle- or high-income countries — account for one-eighth of the world’s population but nearly half of all reported deaths. The U.S. alone has recorded over 745,000 lives lost, more than any other nation.
“This is a defining moment in our lifetime,” said Dr. Albert Ko, an infectious disease specialist at the Yale School of Public Health. “What do we have to do to protect ourselves so we don’t get to another 5 million?”
The death toll, as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, is about equal to the populations of Los Angeles and San Francisco combined. It rivals the number of people killed in battles among nations since 1950, according to estimates from the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Globally, COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke.
The staggering figure is almost certainly an undercount because of limited testing and people dying at home without medical attention, especially in poor parts of the world, such as India.
“What’s uniquely different about this pandemic is it hit hardest the high-resource countries,” said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, director of ICAP, a global health center at Columbia University. “That’s the irony of COVID-19.”
Wealthier nations with longer life expectancies have larger proportions of older people, cancer survivors and nursing home residents, all of whom are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, El-Sadr noted. Poorer countries tend to have larger shares of children, teens and young adults, who are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus.
India, despite its terrifying delta surge that peaked in early May, now has a much lower reported daily death rate than wealthier Russia, the U.S. or Britain, though there is uncertainty around its figures.
The seeming disconnect between wealth and health is a paradox that disease experts will be pondering for years. But the pattern that is seen on the grand scale, when nations are compared, is different when examined at closer range. Within each wealthy country, when deaths and infections are mapped, poorer neighborhoods are hit hardest.
In the U.S., for example, COVID-19 has taken an outsize toll on Black and Hispanic people, who are more likely than white people to live in poverty and have less access to health care.
“When we get out our microscopes, we see that within countries, the most vulnerable have suffered most,” Ko said.
Wealth has also played a role in the global vaccination drive, with rich countries accused of locking up supplies. The U.S. and others are already dispensing booster shots at a time when millions across Africa haven’t received a single dose, though the rich countries are also shipping hundreds of millions of shots to the rest of the world.
Africa remains the world’s least vaccinated region, with just 5% of the population of 1.3 billion people fully covered.
“This devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in a written statement. “This is a global shame.”
In Kampala, Uganda, Cissy Kagaba lost her 62-year-old mother on Christmas Day and her 76-year-old father days later.
“Christmas will never be the same for me,” said Kagaba, an anti-corruption activist in the East African country that has been through multiple lockdowns against the virus and where a curfew remains in place.
The pandemic has united the globe in grief and pushed survivors to the breaking point.
“Who else is there now? The responsibility is on me. COVID has changed my life,” said 32-year-old Reena Kesarwani, a mother of two boys, who was left to manage her late husband’s modest hardware store in a village in India.
Her husband, Anand Babu Kesarwani, died at 38 during India’s crushing coronavirus surge earlier this year. It overwhelmed one of the most chronically underfunded public health systems in the world and killed tens of thousands as hospitals ran out of oxygen and medicine.
In Bergamo, Italy, once the site of the West’s first deadly wave, 51-year-old Fabrizio Fidanza was deprived of a final farewell as his 86-year-old father lay dying in the hospital. He is still trying to come to terms with the loss more than a year later.
“For the last month, I never saw him,” Fidanza said during a visit to his father’s grave. “It was the worst moment. But coming here every week, helps me.”
Today, 92% of Bergamo’s eligible population have had at least one shot, the highest vaccination rate in Italy. The chief of medicine at Pope John XXIII Hospital, Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli, said he believes that’s a clear result of the city’s collective trauma, when the wail of ambulances was constant.
In Lake City, Florida, LaTasha Graham, 38, still gets mail almost daily for her 17-year-old daughter, Jo’Keria, who died of COVID-19 in August, days before starting her senior year of high school. The teen, who was buried in her cap and gown, wanted to be a trauma surgeon.
“I know that she would have made it. I know that she would have been where she wanted to go,” her mother said.
In Rio de Janeiro, Erika Machado scanned the list of names engraved on a long, undulating sculpture of oxidized steel that stands in Penitencia cemetery as an homage to some of Brazil’s COVID-19 victims. Then she found him: Wagner Machado, her father.
“My dad was the love of my life, my best friend,” said Machado, 40, a saleswoman who traveled from Sao Paulo to see her father’s name. “He was everything to me.”
Sanyat’s 2nd single ‘You and Me’ awaits global release
Sanyat Sattar’s second single, ‘You and Me’,will be released on global platforms on August 29.
He wrote the lyrics and composed the music in the duet featuring Sarah Billah.
“I had the track and music ready and was looking for a duet partner. Coincidentally, my friend Sarah was in Bangladesh, and I requested her to join me,” he said.
Sarah, an accomplished singer herself, has sung many Bengali songs. ‘You and Me’ is her first one in English.
Global Covid cases near 211 million
With the highly contagious Delta variant spreading rapidly across several countries, the global Covid-19 caseload is also fast approaching the grim milestone of 211 million.
The total caseload and fatalities stand at 210,820,517 and 4,414,840, respectively, as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
So far, 4,867,004,474 vaccine doses have been administered across the globe.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has so far logged 37,613,490 cases, according to JHU, while 627,843people have lost their lives to Covid to date.
Brazil currently has the world's second-highest pandemic death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
READ: Global Covid cases near 210 million
The country has recorded 20,528,099 cases with 573,511 fatalities so far, according to the health ministry.
The third worst-hit country, India's Covid-19 tally rose to 32,358,829 on Friday, while the death toll from the virus mounted to 433,589.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh added 145 fatalities, lowest in 48 days, to its national tally Friday, as Covid deaths continue to fall for the third straight day and cases remain below the 8,000 mark since August 14.
The country reported 134 Covid deaths on July 3, the highest fatality number – 264 – on August 5 and 10, and 16,230 infections on July 28.
Bangladesh is now reporting 7,191 new cases on an average each day – 50% of the peak. The highest daily average was reported on August 3.
It recorded 5,993 new cases Friday after testing 34,892 samples, down from 8,465 logged a week earlier on August 13.
The country has been experiencing a surge of Covid-related caseload and deaths since June 2021.
Since the beginning of the vaccination programme, the government has administered at least 22,413,079 doses of Covid jabs – enough to have vaccinated around 6.7% of the country's population, assuming every person needs two doses.
READ: Global Covid cases top 209 million
Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalisations, and death, and with the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Global Covid-19 cases hit 162 million
As Covid-19 cases keep rising day by day in the world, over 162 million people have so far been infected with the deadly virus.
According to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total caseload from the virus reached 162,203,982 while the death toll mounted to 3,365,081 as of Sunday morning.
Some 1,436,372, 607 doses of vaccines have been administered around the world till date, said JHU.
The Covid-19 cases in the US, which remained the world’s worst-hit country, is approaching 33 million cases as a total of 32,923,613 people have been found infected with the virus in the country alone with 585,704 fatalities.
India is holding the second position in terms of the number of cases. With shortage of oxygen and bed crisis at hospitals India has been experiencing a staggering situation of Covid-19 for the past several weeks that has shaken the health system of the country.
India has logged 24,372,907 cases with 266,207 deaths.
Also Read:Vaccine deserts: Some countries have no COVID-19 jabs at all
Brazil on Saturday reported 2,087 more deaths from COVID-19, raising the national count to 434,715, the Ministry of Health said.
Meanwhile, 67,009 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 15,586,534.
Brazil has the world's second highest COVID-19 death toll, after the United States, and the third largest caseload, following the United States and India.
Situation in Bangladesh
Covid-19 claimed 22 more lives in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours until Saturday morning which is the lowest daily deaths in nearly two months.
The country saw 26 Covid deaths on Friday and 31 on Thursday.
Also Read: Beware of Indian covid variant: Quader
With the latest deaths logged today, the official Covid-related death count in the country reached 12,124.
However, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.55%, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country witnessed a sharp drop in the number of new cases as the tests have declined dramatically.
Only 261 infections were logged in the last 24 hours after examining 3,758 samples during the period.
The country also confirmed 779,796 Covid-19 cases in total, says the DGHS handout.
Lockdown extended till May 23
The government is going to extend the ongoing lockdown for another week until May 23 to stem the spread of Covid-19.
“The ongoing restrictions will be extended for another week and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has given approval to it. A notification will be issued on Sunday,” State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain told UNB on Friday.
Global Covid-19 cases near 157 million
The Covid-19 situation is worsening around the world with each passing the day, despite mass vaccinations. In fact, the total global corona caseload is fast approaching 157 million.
Acording to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the total Covid caseload reached 156,480,210 while the death toll from the virus mounted to 3,265,264, respectively, on Saturday morning.
The US, which is the world's worst-hit country in terms of both cases and deaths, has logged 32,649,677 cases with 580,870 fatalities to date, as per the university data.
India, which is now the world's second worst-hit country in terms of cases, has so far recorded 21,491,598 infections and 234,083 fatalities, according to the country's Health Ministry.
Also read: Global Covid cases near 156 million
India has been hit by a catastrophic surge in Covid infections. New cases and deaths skyrocketed nearly 30-fold during March and April. The health system has been overwhelmed, leaving patients desperate for oxygen and other supplies, reports AP.
Hospitals across the country have been flooded with Covid-19 patients.
Brazil, counted one of the deadliest Covid-19 hotspots in the world, reported as many as 2,165 deaths from Covid-19 in 24 hours on Friday, raising the national fatality count to 419,114, the Ministry of Health said.
The Ministry said that 78,886 more cases were detected during the 24-hour period, raising the nationwide tally to 15,082,449.
Brazil has the world's second-highest Covid death toll after the United States and the third-largest caseload after the United States and India.
Also read: Global Covid cases top 154.7 million
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Friday reported 37 Covid-related deaths in 24 hours, including that of 14 women, the lowest since March 28.
The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said the new fatalities pushed up the country’s death toll to 11,833 and the mortality rate to 1.54 %.
Besides, the DGHS said, 1,682 new cases were detected during the period following the test of 17,013 samples, taking the total case count to 770,842.
Bangladesh has so far carried out 559,9276 nationwide tests since reporting its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses it acquired from India's Serum Institute.
Bangladesh signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the doses uncertain.
India has tried to ward off its Covid crisis by ramping up the production of vaccines and banning their export, cutting off supplies to neighbours such as Bangladesh and Nepal as they struggle with infection surges.
However, DGHS DG Prof ABM Khurshid Alam recently assured that Bangladesh would get 2.1 million doses of vaccines by early May.
Lockdown extended again
The government has issued a notification extending the ongoing lockdown till May 16 with six fresh directives alongside the existing ones to contain the spread of Covid-19.
According to the notification issued by the Cabinet Division, officials of all government, semi-government, autonomous and private organisations, as well as banks and financial institutions have been asked to remain at their respective workstations during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
Shops and shopping malls will remain open from 10am to 8pm maintaining strict health guidelines. If any violations are seen, the shopping malls and shops will be closed instantly, says the notification.
Inter-district transport services will remain suspended though intra-district transport services resumed from Thursday. However, launch and train services will remain suspended.
Also read: WHO, Germany to launch new global hub for pandemic, epidemic intelligence
India in the grip of Covid
Bangladesh's largest neighbour India is grappling with the worst outbreak of Covid and set yet another daily global record of 414,188 confirmed cases and 3,915 deaths on Friday, bringing the national tally to 21.4 million infections and over 234,000 deaths. However, experts say the actual figures could be much higher.
The explosion of new Covid-19 cases is overwhelming India, leaving millions of people infected and putting stress on the country's already overtaxed healthcare system. The country has stepped up its vaccination drive for all its adults even though some states claim to be facing shortage of jabs.
The Indian government is facing mounting pressure to impose a strict nationwide lockdown, despite the economic pain it will exact, as an alarming surge in Covid cases that has pummeled the country's health system shows no signs of abating.
Months ago, India had appeared to be winning its battle against the pandemic. After a strict initial lockdown, the country did not see a surge in new cases and deaths compared to other countries.
But when the early restrictions were lifted, many people stopped taking precautions with large gatherings, political rallies and religious festivals being held at many places, drawing millions of people.
Bangladesh on alert
India's neighbours such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan are watching out for a potentially more infectious Covid-19 variant crossing the border from the country as they are also reporting a recent surge in new cases.
The new situation has prompted authorities in these countries to seal borders and restrict travel. However, given the porous nature of the borders, people cross frequently.
The surge in India has created big concerns for Bangladesh, where officials fear that new variants circulating in India could bring devastation.
On April 26, the country shut down borders with India for any kind of movement except that of cargo for the next 14 days as sparks from India's pandemic wildfire seem to have gone out of control.