This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
As of July 18, 2020, India's Health Ministry announced a record 38,902 positive cases of COVID-19, the highest spike in 24 hours since the virus broke out in the country.
The Ministry also reported 543 new deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in India to 26,816.
India has the third-highest caseload in the world, after the US and Brazil, with a total of 1,776,618 cases.
The India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has conducted a total of 13,791,869 tests as of July 18, 2020.
The ICMR has also announced plans to study the BCG vaccine, used against tuberculosis, to determine its potential in preventing COVID-19 infection and reducing its severity among the elderly.
Experts warn that the global number of coronavirus infections is likely much higher than the reported 14 million, due to a shortage of testing equipment in various countries.
According to John Hopkins University, the global number of fatalities has surpassed 600,000 as of July 18, with the US leading the list with 140,103 deaths, followed by Brazil with 78,772 and the UK with 45,358.
