NEW DELHI - India reported over 17,000 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, pushing the country's total above 500,000, federal health ministry data showed on Saturday , with infections surging in major cities including the capital New Delhi.
Infections are expected to continue rising steadily in India. Experts advising the federal government say the authorities should now prioritise reducing mortality over containing the spread of the virus. The Cov-ind-19 study group, led by Bhramar Mukherjee, a biostatistics professor from the University of Michigan, forecasts that India could see between 770,000 and 925,000 cases by July 15.
The city of around 20 million people only has around 13,200 beds for Covid-19 patients and will add at least 20,000 in coming weeks, with some facilities manned by army and paramilitary doctors.