India’s Coronavirus Infections Surge To 6.23 Million

FILE PHOTO: A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a woman, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease in New Delhi

India’s coronavirus case tally surged to 6.23 million after it reported 80,472 new infections in the last 24 hours, data from the Health Ministry showed on Wednesday.

Deaths from coronavirus infections rose by 1,179 in the last 24 hours to 97,497, the Ministry said.

The south Asian nation, which is second only to the United States in terms of total cases, has a scope for higher infections with a large chunk of the population still unexposed to the virus, a survey showed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, World Bank President David Malpass said on Tuesday he is seeking board approval for a $12 billion (£9.33 billion) coronavirus vaccine financing plan to help poor and developing countries secure a sufficient share of vaccine doses when they become available in the coming months.

The World Bank program will disburse grant or loan funding to countries, and will be able to select any vaccine that meets safety criteria, including approval from multiple “highly respected, stringent regulatory agencies,” such as those in the United States, Canada, Japan and several European countries, Malpass said.