On Thursday, India recorded its highest single day spike of 45,720 cases of Indians struck down by coronavirus.
With this, the tally for coronavirus cases in India crossed the 12 lakh/1.2 million mark.
As per Union health ministry data, the death toll mounted to 29,861 with a record 1,129 fatalities on Thursday.
India ranks the third most infectious country in the world after the US and Brazil in COVID-19 cases.
With the central and state governments unable to flatten the curve and the terrifying prognosis by the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru warning that the number of infected cases in India will exceed 3.5 million by September 1 and could rise as high as 12 million (over 3 million 'active' cases and half a million fatalities) by November 1, hope only rests in a vaccine.
The Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is hopeful of producing a COVID-19 vaccine by October/November, its CEO Adar Poonawalla said on Wednesday.
Dominic Xavier offers his take on the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India as its citizens hope and pray for the miracle of an early vaccine.
Feature Production: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
