India’s daily reported death toll from COVID-19 now exceeds 6,000 a day. That level surpassed a record number of daily fatalities reported by the United States earlier this year.
India’s health ministry data showed that 6,148 COVID-related deaths were recorded over a 24-hour period, as daily reported cases remained below 100,000 for the third consecutive day.
The fatalities rose after one of India’s poorest states, Bihar, revised its total COVID-19 related death toll from about 5,400 to more than 9,400, accounting for people who died at home or in private hospitals.
India is fighting a devastating second wave that started in February and accelerated in April and May, which overwhelmed the country’s health-care infrastructure. The sector struggled with shortages of beds, oxygen and medication while many doctors and other healthcare workers succumbed to the disease.
While cases peaked in early May, government officials have sounded the alarm over a potential third wave that could hit the country later this year. India has reported more than 29 million cases and over 353,000 deaths since the pandemic began last year.
To date, less than 5% of India’s population has received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The government in India estimates that more than two billion doses of vaccine could be available by December as more vaccine candidates receive regulatory approval.