Updated May 4, 2021 - World

India becomes 2nd country to report 20 million COVID cases

Rebecca Falconer

Frontline workers are sprayed with disinfectant at a Covid-19 Care Center set up at the Sarojini Naidu Medical College (SNMC) in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday, May 3 — Frontline workers are sprayed with disinfectant at a COVID-19 Care Center set up at the Sarojini Naidu Medical College in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Monday. Photo: Anindito Mukherjee/Bloomberg via Getty Images

India on Tuesday became the second country after the U.S. to report surpassing 20 million COVID-19 cases. The official death toll has surged past 220,000.

Of note: The country's official daily cases count has risen from 65,000 to roughly 370,000 and deaths from more than 300 a day to 3,000 since April 1, AP notes. Experts and local health workers say the actual numbers are much higher.

The big picture: The World Health Organization said Monday more cases had been recorded globally over the past two weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic, with India and Brazil making up more than half of all infections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticized for his handling of the pandemic, as hospitals face a widespread oxygen shortage.
Still, his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been resisting calls for new national restrictions, as several state governments impose lockdowns.

Go deeper: Foreign aid pours into India as COVID-19 crisis worsens

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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India becomes 2nd country to report 20 million COVID cases

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