India’s Coronavirus death toll crosses 13,000; 15,400 more cases in 24 hours

India saw a new 24-hour record in the number of Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 4.10 lakh. Around 15,400 of these were reported on Saturday. The country’s death toll from the pandemic also cross 13,000.

The University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering in its latest update said that the total number of Covid-19 cases in the world has now surged to over 8.7 million, while the deaths are nearing 463,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University. By Sunday morning, the total number of cases stood at 8,768,285, while the fatalities increased to 463,999, according to the update.

India had reported a record jump in coronavirus infections on Saturday, a day after the Delhi government ordered hospitals to cancel any leave and have workers return to duty immediately. India saw an increase of 14,516 Covid-19 cases, the health ministry said, taking the total to 395,047 with 12,948 deaths.

India now has the world’s fourth highest number behind the United States, Brazil and Russia. In a memo to all government hospitals on Friday, the Delhi government ordered all leave cancelled and said further leave would only be granted under the most compelling circumstances.

A number of countries continue to evacuate their citizens from India, amid concerns hospitals in major cities such as Delhi and Mumbai may be overwhelmed.