India Reports 4,529 COVID-19 Deaths in a Day, "Another Record High"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The daily new COVID-19 death toll in India has once again reached a record high.

According to the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as of the morning of the 19th, the daily new COVID-19 death toll (the sum of each state's counts over approximately 24 hours from the previous day) was recorded at 4,529. India's daily death toll had peaked at 4,205 on the 12th, then slightly decreased before surging again to 4,329 on the 18th, and increased further on this day.

With the highest number of deaths in the world reported daily, India's cumulative death toll has surpassed 283,000. Experts estimate that the actual number of deaths is several times higher than the government statistics.

Temporary cremation sites have been set up in various places such as parking lots, parks, and open spaces near existing large outdoor crematoriums, where bodies have been burned continuously day and night. As the cost of firewood for cremation rose two to three times, there have been cases of bodies being directly submerged or abandoned in the Ganges River.

India's daily new confirmed cases peaked at 414,188 on the 7th of this month but have fortunately shown a declining trend since. The additional confirmed cases on this day were 267,334, with a cumulative total of 25,496,330 confirmed cases.

Meanwhile, as the Indian government prioritizes vaccinating its own citizens, the resumption of vaccine exports is expected to be significantly delayed. When confirmed cases surged sharply in mid-February this year, the Indian government completely halted vaccine exports from mid-March and expanded the vaccination target to all adults aged 18 and over starting this month.

India's Serum Institute (SII), which operates the world's largest vaccine factory, has been producing the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine and supplying it worldwide. As the suspension of India's COVID-19 vaccine exports lengthens, underdeveloped countries such as those in Africa are experiencing vaccine shortages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.