India registered 1,761 Covid deaths in the last 24 hours, the biggest one-day spike, and over 2.59 lakh new cases. The total number of cases, which shows a worrying rise in the second wave of the pandemic, now stands at more than 1.53 crore.
This is the second straight that that the country is reporting over two lakh cases. India is second only to the United States in the total number of cases reported since the beginning of the pandemic.
Amid a severe surge in Covid-19 cases across India and healthcare systems under tremendous stress, the Centre on Monday took the decision to vaccinate everyone over the age of 18. The decision came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the country’s top medical experts and pharma company chiefs. The government has also allowed states to purchase vaccines directly from the manufacturers to speed up distribution and inoculation.