India reports 100,636 new COVID-19 infections, 2,427 deaths

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India reported on Monday a daily rise in new coronavirus infections of 100,636 cases over the past 24 hours, while deaths rose by 2,427.

The South Asian nation's tally of infections now stands at 28.9 million, while the death toll has reached 349,186, health ministry data showed.

A second wave of the coronavirus that has largely battered the rural interiors of the country is yet to abate but New Delhi and other cities are working towards allowing more businesses to operate and movement rules to be relaxed from Monday onwards.

The western state of Maharashtra, which is India's richest and has suffered the most infections during the second wave, plans to start this week easing in stages a strict lockdown imposed in April.

While the country has ramped up its vaccination drive in the past few weeks after a slow start, a majority of its 1.3 billion people are expected to remain unvaccinated by the time a potential third wave hits.