By: Sam Chapman, News Contributor
A second COVID-19 surge has swept India as the country set a new daily record on Thursday for COVID-19 deaths at nearly four thousand.
Indian officials reported 3,980 deaths and 412,262 new cases, according to Reuters News Service. The New York Times has reported that India has seen at least 20 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began.
Indian hospitals and clinics have faced extreme shortages in beds and oxygen during this recent wave of the coronavirus.
The United States announced this week that it was in support of waiving intellectual property rights to vaccines, which would make it easier to produce and transport vaccines around the world.
"We are appreciative of U.S. support," foreign ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi said, according to Reuters.