NEW DELHI (AFP) – India on Wednesday (May 19) reported a record 4,529 coronavirus deaths in a single day even as the number of new cases in its devastating new wave fell.

The daily pandemic death toll has been rising in recent days as cases spread into rural districts with poor health facilities.

With the latest deaths, India’s official toll has now risen to 283,248, behind the United States, which has seen more than 600,000 deaths, and Brazil, with about 440,000.