This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
India's COVID-19 cases have surpassed 1 million, a grim milestone in the country's fight against the pandemic. According to reports, over 30,000 new infections were recorded on July 16, marking a significant surge in cases.
India's Ministry of Health website, which tracks the country's total tally, had not included the recent figures by the time this article was published. However, the country's caseload has been steadily increasing over the past few months, making it the third-highest globally after the US and Brazil.
Brazil, which has the second-highest caseload of coronavirus after the US, has confirmed over 2 million cases. The country's trend of infections is concerning, with reports suggesting that it was about a month ago that Brazil confirmed 1 million cases.
President Jair Bolsonaro's initial response to the pandemic was to downplay its severity, refusing to implement measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing. Even after contracting the virus himself, Bolsonaro has continued to downplay its impact, leaving many to worry about the country's ability to contain the virus.
As of now, Brazil has reported over 74,000 fatalities since the outbreak of the virus. The US, meanwhile, has recorded the highest daily coronavirus infections, with over 77,000 cases reported in a single day.
Despite some countries reopening, others have sought to reimpose lockdowns and related restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The global tally of coronavirus cases stands at 13,953,342, with 592,778 deaths and 8,285,183 recoveries.
