India records 4,000 coronavirus deaths for third straight day

As per health ministry data, the Asian country has registered a total 262,317 coronavirus deaths and over 24 million cases since the start of the pandemic, EFE reports.

India remains the world's second most affected country by the coronavirus in terms of caseload, behind the United States, which has recorded a total of 32.8 million cases, according to John Hopkins University.

India has been battling a virulent and devastating second wave of the coronavirus with a positivity rate of around 20 percent, highlighting the seriousness of the situation.

The World Health Organization considers the pandemic to be under control in a country if the positivity rate is below five percent.

The Asian country has recorded over 400,000 daily infections several times in early May, so the decline in cases in recent days brings hope that India has surpassed the worst of the second wave.

However, experts have warned that Covid-19 has been spreading rapidly in rural areas where the healthcare system is poor and not enough testing is done to show a true picture of daily infections.

The second wave has crippled the healthcare sector in parts of the country, and caused dozens of deaths of coronavirus patients due to lack of medical oxygen.

The authorities in the capital city of New Delhi, after weeks of oxygen shortage, revealed Thursday that the worst appears to have past.

South Korea reported 681 more COVID-19 cases on Saturday, including 661 local infections, raising the total caseload to 131,061, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.