By Sachin Ravikumar and Rajendra Jadhav
BENGALURU / MUMBAI (Reuters) – India reported the worst single-day increase in COVID-19 cases since late December on Thursday, when the western state of Maharashtra fought a new wave of infections and imposed a blockade. in one of its most populous cities.
A total of 22,854 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry of health said. It was the biggest daily increase since December 25, according to a Reuters count.
Deaths increased by 126 to reach 158,129. Fatalities have increased by a daily average of about 100 since the beginning of February.
The total number of cases in India of 11.3 million – the largest in the world outside the United States – has been dropping steadily since the peak in late September, but the increase in public meetings and travel is causing an outbreak at a time when most Indians have not yet been vaccinated.
The numbers are still well below the September peak of more than 90,000 a day.
New outbreaks in Maharashtra forced authorities to announce a blockade – including a curfew and an order to close most offices and stores – at Nagpur’s commercial and logistics center from March 15 to 21.
Decisions about imposing restrictions in other areas will be taken in the next few days, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray, told reporters.
Government health officer Vinod Kumar Paul said at a news conference that officials are “very concerned” about the increase in cases in Maharashtra.
The state is also home to the financial capital of Mumbai and accounts for almost 60% of new daily cases across India.
“In districts … where the virus is apparently increasing significantly, vaccination of eligible individuals in these areas should be intensified,” said Paul.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar in Bengaluru and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Euan Rocha and Andrew Heavens)