New positive cases of COVID-19 fell slightly in India on Sunday, but deaths from the infection rose to a record 3.689, in the country that has completely shut down the health system.
Indian authorities reported 392.488 new cases in the last 24 hours to bring the total number of cases to 19.56 million. So far, the virus has killed 215.542 people.
Indian hospitals, morgues and crematoriums are overwhelmed as the country has reported more than 300.000 daily cases for more than 10 days in a row. Many families are left fighting over medicine and oxygen.
Nearly 10 Indian states have imposed some form of restrictions, although the federal government remains hesitant to impose a national lockdown.
The eastern state of Odisha became the latest to announce a two-week lockdown, joining Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, have either imposed night-time curfews or tailgates.
The Indian Express reported on Sunday that the country's COVID-19 task force has advised the federal government to impose a national lockdown.
Last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that all efforts should be made to avoid a deadlock.
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The federal government fears another shutdown will have a devastating impact on the economy. The lockdown imposed last year after the first COVID-19 outbreak led to job losses as economic output fell by 24% in April-June 2020 compared to the same period a year earlier.
Modi's government has been criticized for allowing millions of mostly masked people to attend religious festivals and crowded gatherings in five states through March and April. Daily cases in these states have peaked since then.
The federal government has been accused of failing to respond to a warning in early March from its scientific advisers that a new and more contagious strain was taking over the country.
