India's number of daily Covid-19 cases rose overnight by 346,786, setting a new world record for the third consecutive day on Saturday (Apr. 24), according to CNBC.

The country, which has a population of approximately 1.3 billion people, has a total of 16.6 million Covid-19 cases to date, including 189,544 deaths.

Covid-19 deaths rose by 2,624 over 24 hours

CNBC reported that India surpassed the previous record of 297,430 infections by the United States in a single day on Thursday (Apr. 22), bringing its Covid-19 situation back into the limelight.

In addition, the number of Covid-19 deaths across India rose by 2,624 over the last 24 hours, making it the highest daily rate for the country so far.

The Indian government has deployed military planes and trains to get oxygen to Delhi, as hospitals continue to fill up in the nation's capital.

Oxygen tanks have been sourced from the rest of the country, as well as other nations, including Singapore.

Reuters reported that the situation in New Delhi is extremely severe, with the equivalent of one Covid-19 death in just under every four minutes reported within the the capital.

Hospitals in Delhi have reportedly gone to the city's high court this week, seeking it to order the state and federal governments to make emergency arrangements for medical supplies, particularly oxygen.

In response, the court asked the government to ensure the delivery of supplies, and to make the necessary security arrangements for medical centres, amid the people's desperation.

No national lockdown

Despite the rising number of cases, no national lockdown has been announced, according to BBC.

Instead, individual regions are implementing their own rules, with differing levels of severity.

Delhi has announced a week-long lockdown, leaving just government offices and essential services like hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores open.

On the other hand, the state government in Uttar Pradesh has appealed against the implementation of a lockdown within five of its badly affected districts, despite also facing a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Facing a shortage of vaccines

BBC reported that India has administered more than 130 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines thus far, although the vaccination drive has been restricted to a few select groups thus far, including health workers, frontline staff, those above the age of 45, and anyone with pre-existing medical conditions.

The government has announced that those above 18 will be eligible for the vaccine from May 1 onwards, although the nation is facing a shortage of vaccines, after India gave away many vaccines in early 2021, in a bid to generate international goodwill.

The Wall Street Journal said that countries such as Sri Lanka and Dominica received shipments of India-made vaccines, while the Mongolian Prime Minister took an Indian-made shot.

Now, it is increasingly unsure whether India can meet its demand for Covid-19 vaccines, as experts point to the importance of speeding up its vaccination drive, in order to prevent the situation from worsening further.

BBC reported that India's drug regulator has recently approved the Russian vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use, and will produce 850 million doses of the vaccine annually, with five pharmaceutical companies manufacturing it.

Top image via Unsplash.