India COVID cases cross 18m, US to send $100m supplies: Live news

US to send supplies, including nearly a million instant tests on a first flight, as India battles a catastrophic surge.

With 379,257 new cases and 3,645 new deaths on Thursday, India’s total number of cases and deaths are now at 18.38 million and 204,832, respectively, according to health ministry data. Indians are struggling to register online for a mass vaccination drive set to begin at the weekend as the country’s second wave of coronavirus is worsened by shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen. The record surge in infections has prompted an increasingly urgent response from allies overseas sending equipment.