India reports highest coronavirus daily cases since March 2

A healthcare worker collects a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test swab sample from a woman as others wait, amidst the spread of the disease, at a railway station in New Delhi, India, January 5, 2022.

India reported 7,240 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, the health ministry said on Thursday, its highest number of daily cases since March 2.

India's financial capital Mumbai, which has seen a rapid rise in cases, reported 1,765 new infections late on Wednesday, an increase of more than 500 cases from its Tuesday caseload.

The country reported eight deaths from COVID-19, the ministry said, taking the official death toll to 524,723 on Thursday

Source: Reuters / Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar in Mumbai; Editing by Tom Hogue