With A Record 100,000 New Cases On Monday, India Emerges As New Covid-19 Epicenter

Topline

India on Monday recorded more than 100,000 new Covid-19 cases, a record daily increase for the country—now seeing more new infections than any other country in the world—which has forced its richest state Maharastra and financial hub Mumbai to impose a partial lockdown.

Key Facts

What To Watch For

There is a danger the surge in cases could accelerate further as five Indian states are in the middle of legislative elections which has seen massive campaign rallies with thousands of people in attendance. The north Indian state of Uttarakhand is also in the middle of the month-long Hindu pilgrimage known as the Kumbh Mela, which is attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees, often gathering in close proximity.

Big Number

65 million. That’s the total number of people who have received a Covid-19 vaccine in India according to data released by the health ministry on Sunday. However, only around 10 million people have been fully vaccinated against the virus in the country of 1.3 billion. Earlier this month vaccinations were opened to all people over the age of 45.

Key Background

The sharp decline in Covid-19 cases over the new year period, which bottomed out around mid-February, had puzzled several experts. Many began to wonder if India had reached a point of herd immunity, while others attributed it near-universal masking compliance. However, others had warned that the drop was simply a temporary lull and had expressed alarm about the arrival of more infectious strains of the virus in the country. A high-level meeting on the recent surge, chaired by the Prime Minister, over the weekend has blamed several factors including a sharp drop in compliance with safety norms including mask-wearing and social distancing, pandemic fatigue and lack of effecting containment measures at a local level.

Further Reading

India’s Covid-19 cases rose from 9,000 to 90,000 in less than 50 days (Hindustan Times)

India Hits Record Infections Spurring Mumbai Curbs Through April (Bloomberg)

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus