MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil “falls” to third place among covid-19 affected countries behind the U.S. and now India

John Hopkins University said the total number of cases in Brazil were 13.48 million.

Brazil has been displaced from its shrine as the world's second-worst country regarding coronavirus infections. Its place has been taken over by India.

With a record 168,912 covid-19 active infections overnight according to the Health Ministry, India has become the second-worst country in terms of coronavirus cases, thus relieving Brazil from the dubious honor. Deaths in India stood at 904, taking the total to 170,179, data showed on Monday.

India’s overall tally reached 13.53 million, while John Hopkins University put the total number of cases in Brazil at 13.48 million.

The United States continues to lead globally with 31.2 million cases.

India has recorded more than 873,000 cases in the last seven days – an increase of 70 per cent compared to the previous week, while Brazil recorded just over 497,000 cases with an increasing trend of 10 per cent from the previous week.

The US reported just under 490,000 cases with a rising trend of nine per cent.

India had surpassed Brazil in September last year to become the second-most affected country in the world by cases, but it slipped to third place after seeing a decline in cases until January this year.

According to reports, the world’s second-most populous country has experienced a sharp rise in cases after several weeks of religious festivals, campaign rallies and lax mask-wearing.

With regional elections underway in several states, tens of thousands of people have gathered in northern Uttarakhand state for the Kumbh Mela or Pitcher Festival, a Hindu religious pilgrimage.

“The whole country has been complacent – we allowed social, religious and political congregations,” Rajib Dasgupta, professor at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, was quoted as saying. “No one queued up (for social distancing) anymore.”

The spike in India, after daily rises in cases, fell below 9,000 in early February, but after the recurrence in cases, the federal government is desperate to avoid a hugely unpopular second lockdown to protect the already devastated economy.

In Delhi, where a night curfew is in place, 65 per cent of the new covid-19 patients were aged below 45, local authorities have said.

India’s health ministry said the surge has led to a “spike in demand” for the antiviral drug remdesivir, forcing the ban on its export despite a study by the World Health Organization (WHO)saying it has “little or no effect” on COVID-19 mortality as concerns over the side effects and effectiveness of tested and approved vaccines continue to rattle nerves elsewhere.