CAPE TOWN- India has overtaken Brazil to become the country with the second most Covid-19 cases in the world after confirming a record of 90 632 new cases, and 1 016 deaths in 24 hours.
The rise in infections comes as the government continues to lift lockdown restrictions in an effort to boost its economy as the pandemic has caused massive economic disruptions and the loss of millions of jobs since the virus hit in March.
India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed on Monday the national tally is over 4.2 million cases and 71 642 deaths. India is now only behind the United States which has more than 6.2 million diagnosed Covid-19 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Five states contribute more than 60 percent of the country's total Covid-19 cases, and 70 percent of total fatalities. The states are; Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state.
While the country's cases continues to climb, the recovery rate remains high at 77 percent.
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