Updated Oct 11, 2020 - World

India surpasses 7 million coronavirus cases

Rebecca Falconer

A doctor covered in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kit, examines the patient inside female ward at Covid care facility inside Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex, in New Delhi, India — A medical team with a patient at a COVID-19 care facility in New Delhi, India. Photo: Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto via Getty Images

India's Ministry of Health confirmed Sunday another 74,383 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country past 7 million.

Why it matters: India is the second country to report that 7 million people have tested positive for the virus after the U.S. — which has over 7.7 million cases, per Johns Hopkins. The country of almost 1.4 billion people is expected to surpass the number of U.S. cases in the coming days.

Of note: India reported 4 million cases on Sept. 4. But infection numbers have slowed since the middle of last month, when the South Asian country reported 97,894 cases — and the recovery rate has topped 85%, AP notes.

The virus has killed fewer than 1,000 people a day for the past week and the death toll stands at 107,416 as of Sunday.

Yes, but: A health official told AP they would have to "work aggressively" to make sure there isn't a surge in cases from religious festivals in the coming weeks.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details from the Health Ministry and further context.

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India surpasses 7 million coronavirus cases

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