India reports record 126,789 new Covid-19 cases

India reported a record-high 126,789 new Covid-19 cases, health ministry data showed on Thursday, with much of the country struggling to contain a second surge in coronavirus infections.

Deaths rose by 685, taking the tally to 166,862, the data showed.

India’s overall caseload reached 12.9 million, the third-most affected globally, behind the United States and Brazil.

Since February, India has continuously reported a record rise in coronavirus infections, becoming only the second country after the United States to register more than 100,000 new cases in a day, as hospitals in its worst affected state are overrun by patients.

Read: Indian states seek widening of vaccinations as second surge overtakes first wave

The country's daily infections have leapt about 12 fold since hitting a multi-month low in early February, when authorities eased most restrictions and people largely stopped wearing masks and following social distancing. More infectious variants of the virus may have also played a role in the second surge, some epidemiologists say.

India's previous daily high in cases was 97,894, hit in mid-September and after which infections had come down sharply, only to rise again starting late February as the economy reopened fully and new virus mutants spread.