In a month, India’s coronavirus cases double from 3 million to 6 million

NEW DELHI —  India’s confirmed coronavirus caseload reached 6 million Monday, double the 3 million the country recorded barely a month ago and second overall only to the U.S.

The Indian Health Ministry reported 82,170 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, driving the overall tally to 6,074,703. At least 1,039 COVID-19 deaths were also recorded in the same period, taking total fatalities up to 95,542.

New infections in India are currently being reported faster than anywhere else in the world, in part because of expanded testing. The world’s second-most-populous country is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country in coming weeks, surpassing the U.S., where more than 7.1 million infections have been reported.

In the last week, nearly 1 in every 3 new reported coronavirus infections in the world and 1 in every 5 reported deaths occurred in India, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Although most of India’s deaths remain concentrated in large cities, smaller urban centers across the country’s vast landscape are also reporting a surge in infections.

Although the number of infections is rising, India also has the highest number of recovered patients in the world. More than 5 million people have recovered from COVID-19 in India, and the country’s recovery rate stands at 82%, according to the Health Ministry.

Health experts have warned about the potential for the virus to spread during the upcoming religious festival season, which is marked by huge gatherings of people in temples and shopping districts. Another potential risk is an upcoming election in the eastern state of Bihar, where nearly 72 million people are expected to cast votes over three days beginning next month.