Coronavirus cases in India drop to lowest since mid-July

FILE PHOTO: A healthcare worker collects a swab sample from a man amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a market, in the old quarters of Delhi, India, November 13, 2020. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Daily coronavirus infections in India fell to their lowest since mid-July, with 29,163 new cases reported for the last 24 hours, taking the total to 8.87 million, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Daily cases have fallen in India, the country with the second-highest number of infections behind the United States, since hitting a peak in September.

Indians celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, over the weekend, and experts have warned that the festival season could lead to a new spike.

Deaths rose by 449 over the last 24 hours, the ministry also said, with toll now at 130,519.

Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Tom Hogue

source: reuters.com