India's coronavirus tally tops 8,000

NEW DELHI

A further 34 deaths from coronavirus were recorded in India in the last 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 273, authorities announced Sunday.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the South Asian country has risen to 8,356, according to the Ministry of Health.

India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world. As per figures by the Indian Council of Medical Research, 179,374 samples from 164,773 individuals have been processed as of April 11. It has a population of over 1.3 billion.

There are reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is considering to extend the 21-day lockdown imposed on March 25. Since then, almost all outdoor activity remains suspended.

Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man who attended a religious gathering of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi, and later tested positive for the virus, allegedly committed suicide at a government hospital in Maharashtra's Akola district, a statement from the hospital said.

The man from Assam was in Delhi between March 6 and 8, and had attended the religious congregation at Nizamuddin.

He was admitted to a hospital on April 7, and diagnosed with the disease on Friday.

The state -- which includes the financial capital Mumbai -- has reported 127 deaths, the highest in any Indian region.

Attempts have been made by certain sections to squarely blame the jamaat and its members for accentuating the pandemic in the country.

It is being said, however, that demonizing the apolitical organization -- that spreads elementary Islamic knowledge -- is a clear ploy to divert attention from the government’s failure to deal with the crisis. Millions of daily wage workers are said to have run out of work following the "harsh" restrictions.

Overall, there are nearly 1.8 million positive cases, and more than 109,000 deaths due to the virus in 185 countries, according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University.

The disease was first detected in China last December.