India sees largest daily coronavirus increase with more than 40,000 new cases

India remains a hot spot of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with the country reporting more than 40,000 new cases on Monday, its highest figure yet for a 24-hour period.

A statement from the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare obtained by CNN indicated that 43,425 new cases had been confirmed by health authorities across the country on Monday, along with 681 new deaths. India still trails the U.S. in terms of new cases per day, as the U.S. has reported more than 60,000 confirmed cases per day most days so far this month.

India’s total case count now sits at 1,118,043, according to CNN, just under a third of the U.S.’s total cases despite the country’s population of more than 1.3 billion people. Delhi health officials added in the statement that the country has now tested more than 14 million people for the disease.

The U.S. remains the country with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with 3.8 million compared to just over 2.2 million in Brazil. 

A wedding in the Indian city of Paliganj last month was linked to dozens of cases after nearly 400 people attended a packed ceremony, resulting in the groom’s death.

Indian officials told CNN on Sunday that more than half of the country’s new cases were located in just two states: Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.