India's new Covid deaths hit an overwhelming peak with 3,293 people dying in the last 24 hours. 

New cases rose by over 3.6 lakh, a global high, pushing the total cases to over 1.79 crore. The crisis has left India grappling for oxygen and medicines.

This is the seventh straight day that over three lakh cases have been recorded in India, the second worst-hit country after the US. The fresh deaths, marking the deadliest day of the pandemic in the country, take its total fatalities to 2,01,187.

Maharashtra, the state with the highest Covid tally, on Tuesday reported a record 895 new Covid-linked deaths and over 66,000 new cases.

After Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have the most number of infections.

Kerala, which reported India's first coronavirus case last January, logged over 30,000 new infections for the first time on Tuesday. The state's active caseload has risen by a whopping 255 per cent in the past two weeks, according to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Up to 381 people died of Covid in Delhi over the past 24 hours, the highest ever for the capital. The number of fresh infections was 24,149, which took the number of active cases to over 98,000. The positivity rate remained at 32.72 per cent.  

Karnataka has begun its two-week lockdown in a bid to break the huge rise in number of cases in the state. Bengaluru now has over two lakh active cases and its health infrastructure is often unable to cope with the demand for ICU beds, oxygen and medicines. The state reported 31,830 Covid cases in the last 24 hours. 

Assam reported 18 fresh fatalities due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, while the total number of cases rose to over 2.43 lakh with 3,132 more people testing positive for the disease.

The registration for the next phase of the mega vaccination drive for citizens above 18 years of age, which begins on May 1, will start today at 4 pm. Those eligible will be able to book their slots online via the government's Co-Win portal or the Aarogya Setu app. Until now, only people above 45 years of age, healthcare and frontline workers were allowed to take the vaccine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday chaired a meeting with top officials to review the Covid situation and asked them to ensure rapid upgrading of health infrastructure.

The explosion in Covid cases and deaths in India in the second wave, which has left the public healthcare system crippled, has prompted many nations, including the US, to offer help.

BDST: 1504 HRS, APR 28, 2021
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