Indian states seek widening of vaccinations as second surge overtakes first wave

Police officers patrol at the empty Gateway of India monument, amidst the spreading of coronavirus d

* India adds 96,982 new infections, total at 12.7 mn * Adds 446 new deaths, taking the total to 165,547 * India administers 81 mn vaccine doses, third-highest in world * India's per-capita vaccinations lag many countries Many Indian state leaders have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to open up vaccinations to most of the country's hundreds of millions of adults, following a second surge in infections that has eclipsed the first wave. India breached the grim milestone of 100,000 daily infections for the first time on Monday, and cases jumped by 96,982 on Tuesday, data from the health ministry showed. There were 446 new deaths, taking the total to 165,547. The country of 1.35 billion people has administered 80.9 million vaccine doses, the most after the United States and China, but it lags far behind in immunisations per capita.