India Surpasses Brazil for World’s Second-Most COVID-19 Cases

A new single-day record of COVID-19 cases has pushed India into second place behind the United States for the world’s most confirmed coronavirus infections.

The South Asian nation’s 168,912 new COVID-19 cases posted on Monday gives India 13,527,717 total cases, compared to Brazil’s 13,517,808 total cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The new surge coincides with an acute shortage of vaccines in some Indian states, along with the annual Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, at the Ganges River, where millions of Hindu devotees bathe to seek absolution, raising fears it could evolve into a superspreader event. India is in fourth place in total coronavirus fatalities with 170,179, including 904 deaths posted on Monday. The United States leads in that category with 562,521, followed by Brazil with 354,617 deaths and Mexico with 209,702.