India has reported 78,761 new cases of coronavirus in 24 hours, the world’s highest single-day increase.

The country has the third-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, after the USA and Brazil. According to the statistics by the worldometer, there are 3,624,613 confirmed cases of coronavirus out of which 64,646 have died whereas 2,775,194 have recovered. The number of active cases in India is 784,773. A total of 42,307,914 tests have been conducted so far.

Cardiology doctor, Manoj Kumar, told Reuters: “It is the largest one-day surge in cases worldwide and the reason behind this – because the pandemic is spreading in the rural areas.”

Despite a surge in cases, India continues to ease numerous restrictions. Gatherings of up to 100 people will be allowed at cultural, entertainment, and sports events from next month. People will be required to maintain social distance and wear a mask.

Dr. Rajiv Parekh, chairman of the Medanta division of peripheral vascular and endovascular sciences, told Reuters: “People thought that once the numbers started to go down, this was it, they had won the war…. everybody was out there without wearing masks, without any social distancing.

“That is something that we should not have allowed to have happened.”

Doctors say that under-reporting and limited testing are major concerns.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on people to follow the rules and remain united to defeat coronavirus.

In a monthly radio address, he said, “It is important that every citizen is healthy and happy and we defeat coronavirus completely together.”

“Corona can only be defeated when you remain safe when you fulfill the resolve of keeping a safe distance of two meters and wearing masks.”