India Hits 8m Mark With 49,000 New Virus Cases

India’s trajectory is moving toward the worst-hit country, the US, which has over 8.8 million cases; 517 fatalities in the past 24 hours, raises death toll to 120,527; home remedies boom

NEW DElHI

India’s confirmed coronavirus caseload surpassed 8 million on Thursday with daily infections dipping to the lowest level this week, as concerns grew over a major Hindu festival season and winter setting in.

India’s trajectory is moving toward the worst--hit country, the United States, which has over 8.8 million cases.

The Health Ministry reported another 49,881 infections and 517 fatalities in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 120,527.

Life in India is edging back to pre-virus levels with shops, businesses, subway trains, and movie theaters reopening and the country’s third-largest state of Bihar with a population of about 122 million people holding elections.

But health experts warn that mask and distancing fatigue is setting in and can lead to a fresh wave of infections.

India saw a steep rise in cases in July and added more than 2 million in August and another 3 million in September.

But it is seeing a slower pace of coronavirus spread since mid-September when daily infections touched a record of 97,894 with the highest number of deaths at 1,275.

According to the Health Ministry, more than 7.3 million Indians have recovered from COVID-19.