India records close to 40,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday

India on recorded yet another spike of nearly 40,000 fresh infections in the last 24 hours – highest daily-rise since November 29 – as government warned against protocol violations and authorities prepared for a second COVID wave. A total of 39,726 new cases took India’s COVID tally to 1,15,14,331. Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat are the five States that have recorded the highest single-day surge since yesterday, government data shows.
On Thursday, Maharashtra saw the highest single-day spike with 25,833 fresh infections. With nearly 24 lakh infections logged since the beginning of the pandemic, the state is yet again scrambling to enforce strict measures. Earlier this week, the centre flagged to the Uddav Thackeray-government that Maharashtra is “in the beginning of a second wave of Covid”.
The spike in coronavirus cases comes ahead of assembly elections in four States – Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala and one union territory – Puducherry – that begin next week. In Tamil Nadu, which saw a fresh surge of 989 cases, officials have expressed concern over crowds at poll rallies.

With 607 new infections, the national capital also saw the highest single-day rise in nearly 2.5 months on Thursday.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a series of restrictions in the State today to curb the spread of coronavirus. He ordered bus services to and from Maharashtra to be stopped from March 20.

The government is trying to vaccinate and test as many people amid uptick in cases. Over 3.93 crore doses of vaccines have been administered so far; more than 23 crore of samples have been tested for Covid, according to government data. The centre has also warned against vaccine wastage.
More than 12 crore people have been affected worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic; 26 lakh have died.