India’s new Covid cases jump to two-month high

India yesterday reported 46,759 new coronavirus infections, the most in nearly two months, as cases surged in the southern state of Kerala after a big festival.

The South Asian country's total Covid-19 cases reached nearly 32.7 million and deaths rose by 509 to 437,370 in the last 24 hours, government data showed.

Kerala, which last week celebrated a local festival, accounted for 70% of the new cases.

India administered more than 10 million vaccine doses in the past 24 hours, a national record that Prime Minister Narendra Modi called a "momentous feat" for the country ahead of fears of another surge in infections.

The government had aimed to vaccinate about 1.1 billion adults by the end of the year but shortages, administrative confusion and hesitancy have held back numbers. Only around 15 percent have had two doses since the drive began in January.

Almost all restrictions on movement and activity have been lifted even though experts have warned of a new wave hitting as early as next month as the festival season starts.

The coronavirus has killed nearly 4,480,000 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to an AFP compilation of official data.

China yesterday reported 21 new confirmed coronavirus cases in the mainland for Aug 27, down from 32 a day earlier, according to the National Health Commission yesterday.

Meanwhile, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has lengthened the second-highest level of coronavirus restrictions in the capital region and some provinces until Sept. 7, his spokesperson said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Australia reported a record 1,126 coronavirus infectious yesterday, the vast majority in New South Wales, the epicentre of the Delta-fuelled outbreak.

More than half of Australians have been in weeks-long lockdowns as officials in Sydney and Melbourne, the country's largest cities, and the capital Canberra struggle to quell the outbreak.