In more worries for 1.3 billion people in the country, India on Thursday reported the biggest single-day spike in Novel Coronavirus cases since Oct 11 last year with the addition of over 72,000 new infections. With 72,000 new COVID-19 cases, the overall tally of infections rose to 1,22,21,665.

The COVID-19 toll has touched 1,62,927 with 459 infected people dying in 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

The massive surge in cases occurred on a day the government is expanding the vaccination drive to all people who are aged 45 or above.

On Mar 1, the government had allowed all aged 60 or more and citizens with co-morbidity over the age of 45 to take the COVID-19 vaccines.

Commenting on the spike, Dr Randeep Guleria, chief of Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told NDTV that the Covid surge in the country is due to a new strain and the situation is exactly like the one in the UK when the virus underwent a mutation around Christmas.

(IBNS)