4,529 new Covid deaths recorded in India, highest single-day toll in any country

India recorded 267,334 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Wednesday, and the number of new fatalities stood at 4,529, according to the Union health ministry dashboard. With this, the country's cumulative infection tally went up to 25,496,330 while the death toll soared to 283,248.

As the second wave of Covid-19 slows down in the country, the number of fatalities has been projected to go up. According to experts, people who were infected during the peak of the second wave and are now battling for their lives, are likely to add to the toll in the coming weeks if they do not recover.

The country recorded over 4,000 deaths for the fifth time in a row, even as the number of new cases went down on all days during the week, barring Wednesday. The 4,529 fatalities recorded in India surpassed the record of 4,468 deaths in the US on January 12. Brazil, the third hardest-hit country in the world, recorded 4,211 deaths on April 6.

The fall in new cases of Covid-19 can be attributed to fresh restrictions and extended lockdowns, especially in the hot spot states, experts said.

Delhi, for instance, saw a downward trend in the average positivity rate in last 10 days, which fell by over 14% from May 8 to May 18. Chhattisgarh, too, saw its positivity rate drop around 13% in the same period while in Haryana, it dropped over 10%.