MUMBAI: India’s official coronavirus case tally hit two million, doubling in three weeks as the pandemic sweeps into smaller cities and rural areas.
A record daily jump of more than 60,000 fresh infections was recorded, according to health ministry data. India is the third country to surpass the two million milestone after the United States and Brazil, although experts warn the real toll could be much higher.
The rate of spread in the world’s second-most populous country also appears to be increasing. India logged its first one million infections by 17th July and crossed the 1.5 million mark just twelve days after that. The country has now recorded 2.03 million infections and 41,585 deaths.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government imposed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns in late March but the restrictions have been steadily eased as the economy is reeling from the impact and tens of millions of migrant workers lost their jobs.
Individual states and cities have been imposing localised lockdowns including Bangalore last month, the eastern state of Bihar and parts of Tamil Nadu. The main hotspots have been the cities of New Delhi and Mumbai. Smaller cities and rural areas where 70 percent of Indians live have now begun to see case numbers rising sharply.
Many experts said the actual number of case and fatalities may be much higher than official figures. A study last week that tested people for coronavirus antibodies found 57 percent in Mumbai’s slums have had the infection.
A similar probe earlier in July indicated that almost a quarter of people in New Delhi have had the virus almost 40 times the official total. In smaller cities and rural areas many people have been ignoring guidelines on social distancing and wearing masks.
Monsoon floods in recent weeks that have affected millions have also hindered efforts to fight the pandemic. In addition, some of those infected are ostracised by their communities, leading to a stigmatisation of the virus that puts people off being tested.
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