Homeless and migrant laborers affected by the COVID-19 lockdown queue up to receive free cooked food distributed by Sikh volunteers in New Delhi, India, on May 18, 2021. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
People affected by the COVID-19 lockdown wait for food. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A volunteer distributes food in New Delhi. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A child prepares to eat. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
People wait to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses at one of the largest vaccination sites at Radhaswami Satsang, in New Delhi, India, on May 4. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
People over 18 years of age fulfill formalities to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
COVID-19 patients receive oxygen at a care center, converted from a sports complex, in New Delhi, India, on May 4. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
More than 20 million Indians have been infected with the coronavirus as it continues to spread with 3,500 deaths in 24 hours. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Family members mourn the death of a COVID-19 patient at a crematorium in New Delhi, India. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Family members of COVID-19 patients wait outside an oxygen-filling center on May 3 to refill their empty cylinders as demand rises. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Oxygen has run short in India. The United States has promised to send supplies. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A relative of a COVID-19 patient reacts as her family member receives free oxygen in New Delhi. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A COVID-19 patient receives free oxygen, provided by a Gurudwara, a Sikh temple, in Ghaziabad, India, on May 1. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Volunteers set up an temporary COVID-19 care center of 320 beds with oxygen support at the temple. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
"Healthcare infrastructure cannot expand indefinitely, oxygen supplies have been ramped up but still there is shortage given the caseload. It's clear that we have to decrease the cases. It is a human-to-human spread. For at least two weeks, if we are able to stop that, we will decrease the case load. That will help decrease mortality, give some relief to health infrastructure and cut the cycle of transmission," a member of the nation's coronavirus task force said in a report by the Indian Express. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Tankers with medical oxygen gas for COVID-19 patients travel the highway in Ghaziabad, India. There is a shortage of oxygen in many parts of the country. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A medic administers a COVID-19 vaccine at a school in New Delhi on Monday. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Young beneficiaries show their documents before getting their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
A young beneficiary gets her first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
COVID-19 patients receive free oxygen. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
India became the first country in the world to pass 400,000 daily cases on May 1 with 401,993 and it dropped to 392,488 Sunday. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Family members load body of a woman into an ambulance. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
Workers and family members bring bodies for cremation near multiple funeral pyres of victims of COVID-19 to an area that has been converted for mass cremations in New Delhi. Photo by Abhishek/UPI
May 6 (UPI) -- India on Thursday reported another daily record of new COVID-19 cases -- more than 412,000 -- and almost 4,000 new deaths.
The new daily total for Wednesday eclipsed the previous record last weekend, according to the India health ministry and the World Health Organization.
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The daily increase was about 3,800, also a record, according to health ministry data.
Officials said there are some positive signs in New Delhi, where health authorities have seen positivity rate decline recently. Officials said the rate, which was 36% in late April, was 26% on Wednesday.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered the New Delhi government to provide additional medical treatment space for patients, calling the city's existing infrastructure "exposed" and in "shambles."
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said Thursday his administration won't let anyone die of an ongoing oxygen shortage if it receives supplies from the central government.
"If we get an adequate supply of oxygen -- 700 tons -- we will be able to set up 9,000 to 9,500 beds in Delhi," Kejriwal told reporters, according to NDTV. "We will be able to create oxygen beds. I assure you that we will not let anyone die to a shortage of oxygen in Delhi."
India's government has criticized for not providing states and territories with enough medical oxygen, leaving hospitals to deal with severe shortages. Some patients have died in ambulances and parked cars waiting for beds and oxygen.
Critics have complained that some of the shortages are politically related, arguing that areas controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party have been given greater priority in deliveries.