Coronavirus crisis: Indian caseload passes two million

India’s official coronavirus case tally passed two million on Friday after a daily jump of more than 60,000.

A body is removed from a hospital in Ahmedabad on Thursday after a fire killed eight coronavirus patients. Picture: AFP

India’s official coronavirus case tally passed two million on Friday after a daily jump of more than 60,000.

The south Asian giant becomes only the third country to reach the figure, after the US and Brazil. The rate of spread in the world’s second-most populous country also appears to be increasing.

India logged its first million infections just three weeks ago. Official figures show the country has now recorded 2.03 million infections and 41,585 deaths.

Many experts say the true numbers may be much higher among its 1.3 billion people, many of whom live in some of the world’s most crowded cities.

Spending on healthcare is feeble by international comparison. India has tested around 16,500 people per million, compared to 190,000 in the US. Thus many believe fatalities are higher than the official numbers.

AFP