India accounted for one in four COVID-19 deaths globally last week: WHO

India accounted for 46 percent of the new COVID-19 cases recorded worldwide last week and one in four of deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.

The surge of the coronavirus in India, including of a highly infectious new variant first identified there, has seen hospitals runs out of beds and oxygen, and morgues and crematoriums overflowing. Many people have died in ambulances and car parks waiting for a bed or oxygen.

Worldwide, 5.7 million new cases were reported last week and more than 93,000 deaths, the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological report. India reported nearly 2.6 million new cases, a 20 percent increase on the previous week, and 23,231 deaths.

The figures are based on official tallies, so India’s proportion could be even larger if, as many experts believe, a large number of cases and deaths are not being recorded there as the system becomes overwhelmed. India accounts for almost 18 percent of the world’s population.

There are signs that India’s outbreak is spreading to its neighbors. Nepal recorded a 137 percent increase in cases to 31,088 last week, while Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 outbreak was also growing, the WHO said.

On Tuesday India became the second country to record 20 million infections, after the US. India’s coronavirus deaths rose by a record 3,780 during the last 24 hours, with daily infections rising by 382,315 on Wednesday, health ministry data showed.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Read more:

India reports record number of COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours

India allocates $6.7 bln in cheap loans for vaccine, hospital, health firms

Coronavirus: It’s not just India, new COVID-19 waves hit developing nations worldwide