India has reported the highest number of daily coronavirus cases globally for the second day in a row, as the country grapples with a worsening crisis.
On Friday, 332,730 new cases were recorded, bringing India’s total to more than 16 million cases, according to a CNN tally of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health. The country has added over 1 million cases in four days.
India also reported its highest single-day death toll since the pandemic began, with 2,263 deaths Friday.
In the capital New Delhi, at least six private hospitals ran out of oxygen Thursday, Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said in a letter to union health ministers.
Even after the central government allocated 480 metric tons of oxygen for Delhi Wednesday, Delhi’s advocate informed the city’s high court Thursday that the supplies had still not reached the capital.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order asking states not to restrict the movement of medical oxygen. The high court also asked for a special corridor to be created for the movement of oxygen.
As of Friday morning, there were only 25 available ICU beds in the capital, a Delhi government dashboard showed.
Later today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing high-level meetings to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.