India records highest single-day spike in virus cases

NEW DELHI

India reported 131,893 new coronavirus cases, health authorities said on Friday, the highest single-day spike in the country since the beginning of the outbreak.

With the new infections, the total number of cases in the country has surpassed 13 million.

The death toll in the country now stands at 167,642, with 780 new fatalities over the past day.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with the chief ministers of several states and discussed the recent surge in virus cases.

“We have to keep focusing on ‘Test, Track, Treat’, COVID appropriate behavior and COVID Management,” Modi said.

He explained that testing is critical to detect the extent of infection in the community and also to identify people who can spread the infection.

Meanwhile, five COVID-19 patients reportedly died in the central Indian city of Ujjain due to lack of oxygen supply in a government hospital.​​​​​​​