India reported 275 deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, the highest number of fatalities in one day since December 31, according to a CNN count of figures from the Indian Ministry of Health.
The country also reported 47,262 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, the highest one-day increase since Nov. 12, bringing the total to 11,734,058 cases, including 160,441 deaths.
This is because India has been a year since the country’s first nationwide Covid-19 lockdown was imposed, forcing the 1.3 billion people in.
New rules: In light of the “new rise in the number of cases in some parts of the country,” the Department of the Interior (MHA) announced new Covid-19 control guidelines on Tuesday that will be in effect until the end of April.
According to CNN figures from the Ministry of Health, India reported more than 35,000 new cases daily for seven consecutive days. This rise follows a “sustained decline in the number of active cases, continuously for about 5 months,” according to the MHA order.
Some of the measures outlined in Tuesday’s decision included rapid isolation of positive cases and tracing contacts of Covid-positive patients within 72 hours.
Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu were responsible for 81% of new cases reported in the past 24 hours on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health. Parts of many of these states have set full or partial lockdowns and night clocks to stop the spread of the virus.
India has dispensed more than 50 million vaccine doses since January 16, when it began vaccinating health and front-line workers, as well as people over 60 or over 45 with comorbidities. According to the Ministry of Health, from April 1, everyone aged 45 or older will be included in the rollout.