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Struggling India crosses 1 million coronavirus cases

Posted at 7:13 AM, Jul 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-17 07:13:52-04

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has topped 1 million coronavirus cases, third only to the United States and Brazil. The number of sick people is prompting concerns about the country's readiness to confront an inevitable surge that could overwhelm hospitals and test the feeble health care system. The grim milestone Friday comes at a time when several Indian states are imposing focused lockdowns to stem the outbreak. Three states have accounted for more than half of total cases. But in India’s vast countryside, which is much less prepared and with weaker health care, the pandemic is clearly growing. Experts say the challenge for India will be to tightrope the opening up of the economy while trying to restrict the increase in cases to manageable levels that don’t overwhelm hospitals.