torsdag 29. april 2021

West Bengal: India state elections go ahead as deaths hit record high

People in the Indian state of West Bengal are voting in the final phase of elections despite soaring Covid cases. Long queues were seen outside polling booths, raising concerns about further spread of the virus amidst a deadly second wave. Experts fear West Bengal could be the next epicentre. Cases rose by 17,000 on Wednesday - a state record.

In total, India reported 379,257 new infections on Thursday, the world's highest single-day total. The country also reported 3,645 deaths from coronavirus - another unwanted record, in this case the highest number of fatalities in a single day since the start of the pandemic. West Bengal has already seen seven phases of voting. The state is one of the few where Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have a majority of parliamentary seats. There has been a lot of criticism that he continued to hold large rallies there even as the virus began overwhelming the country.