COVID second wave: India reports over 2.5 lakh new cases, 1,761 deaths in last 24 hrs

India has reported 259,170 new COVID-19 cases and 1,761 fatalities in the past 24 hours, according to data from the Union Health Ministry. This surge brings the total number of confirmed cases to over 15.3 million, with active cases exceeding 2 million. Meanwhile, 154,761 recoveries were recorded during the same period, raising the total recoveries to over 13.1 million. The cumulative death toll now stands at 180,530.