India confirmed its coronavirus infections hit 6 million Monday - placing the nation second only to the U.S.
Health officials said 82,170 new infections were recorded in the past 24 hours - pushing the country's total to 6,074,703. Some 1,039 fatalities were also registered bringing deaths to 95,542.
India is estimated to emerge as COVID-19's worst-hit nation in the next few weeks. In the U.S. more than 7 million coronavirus cases have been tallied.
India, home to 1.3 billion people, has some of the most densely packed cities in the world and has long been recording large numbers of COVID infections.
India's Minister of Health Dr. Harsh Vardhan warned that the nation's forthcoming Council of Medical Research survey shouldn't generate complacency.
Meanwhile, even as cases rise, India has the largest volume of coronavirus recoveries. More than 5 million citizens have recovered - which has a recovery rate of 82%, health authorities said.
India has been recording up to 90,000 new cases of the disease a day since late August. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked constituents to keep wearing face masks outside.
Despite the continued increase in virus cases India authorities are unlikely to reintroduce lockdowns it gradually eased after rigid protocols dealt a heavy blow to its economy and hurt the livelihoods of millions - especially the underprivileged.
Meanwhile, the country's medical experts must concentrate on post-coronavirus care - especially as the misery is expected to worsen as more and more people try to bounce back from the illness. "Constant focus and even debate is very crucial before it becomes a bigger problem," BBC News reported.
