Aug 31, 2020 - Health

India reports world's biggest daily coronavirus cases spike

 Health care workers during door to door screening of Temperature and Oxygen level test at Saki naka during Covid-19 pandemic, on August 30, 2020 in Mumbai, India.

Health care workers during door to door screening for the coronavirus in Mumbai, India, on Sunday. Photo: Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

India reported Sunday 78,761 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, taking the total number in the country to over 3.5 million.

Why it matters: It's the highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases reported by a country since the pandemic began. India has the fastest-growing number of daily cases, with over 75,000 being reported for four consecutive days, per AP. "Crowded cities," not enough contact tracing and "lockdown fatigue" are driving the spread in the country of 1.4 billion people, as restrictions are loosened aimed a struggling economy, the New York Times notes.

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