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Agencies:

U.S overtakes India to record highest daily COVID-19 cases in the world

New Delhi
October 22, 2020

India recorded the highest number of daily COVID-19 cases in the world for almost two months at a stretch. Now, with new cases in India declining significantly, the United States has overtaken it in terms of daily new infections.

On Wednesday, October 21, India recorded 54,051 new infections, pushing its total cases to 7.6 million. The US at the same time, added 62,727 new cases, pushing its total tally to 8.3 million.

Most big Indian states, which were impacted recklessly by the pandemic, have been showing significant improvements.

Maharashtra, the COVID-19 engine of the country, was recording more than 20,000 cases every day in late September. By the third week of October, daily cases in the state more than halved and the seven day rolling average came down to 9,000. On Wednesday itself, it recorded around 8,100 new cases, which was still the highest in the country, but it is relieving to see the trend going downwards.

On the other hand, the U.S where many people violated lockdowns and COVID norms, is witnessing a third wave of Coronavirus at a time Presidential elections are less than two weeks away.

By mid September, the U.S had also slashed its daily new cases by 40 %. The second wave in the U.S peaked at 67,000 daily new cases, which declined to 39,900 by mid-September.

At present, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in the U.S is around 60,000. Experts have signalled a �substantial� third wave in the U.S, based on latest trends in new infections.