Daily deaths hit 4,000; India 3rd to cross grim landmark

After Friday’s death toll, the total number of people who lost their lives to the disease in the country since the start of the pandemic touched 238,283.

India’s daily toll due to Covid-19 crossed the 4,000-mark for the first time ever, with the country adding a record 4,192 deaths on Friday as a second wave of infections continued to wreak havoc and overburdening health systems in almost every part of the nation.

India is only the third country after the United States and Brazil to traverse this grim figure. (Getty Images)

India is only the third country after the United States and Brazil to traverse this grim figure.

After Friday’s death toll, the total number of people who lost their lives to the disease in the country since the start of the pandemic touched 238,283. A total of 401,358 new infections were reported on Friday, taking the cumulative number of confirmed cases in India to 21,886,256, according to HT’s dashboard. The highest ever single-day death toll was reported in the US on January 12, when it reported 4,490 fatalities.

While some of the areas that were among the first to be hit by the second wave -- such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi -- appear to be seeing a stabilisation in new Covid-19 cases, deaths continue to remain high.