India’s daily cases drop; WHO experts point to lack of testing
For the first time in weeks, India’s daily cases dropped below 300,000, but daily deaths remained above 4,000 and experts said the count was unreliable due to a lack of testing in rural areas where the virus is spreading fast.
On Monday the health ministry said around 280,000 cases and 4,106 deaths were confirmed in the last 24 hours. Both numbers are almost certainly undercounted.
Swaminathan of the World Health Organization pointed to the “very high” national positivity rate, at about 20% of tests conducted, as a sign that there could be worse to come.
The southern state of Karnataka has suspended vaccinations for the 18-44 age group in government-run centers, and a number of states are looking into directly getting shots from overseas to fill a domestic shortage.
