​India became the global epicenter of the pandemic in April and May 2021 because of the delta variant of the coronavirus. | Photo: EFE

New Delhi, January 15 (RHC)-- In the midst of a third wave of the pandemic in India aggravated by the presence of the Omicron variant, the country recorded more than 264,000 coronavirus infections in 24 hours.

According to Indian health authorities, 264,202 cases of coronavirus were reported in the last day, raising the number of people infected since the beginning of the pandemic to 36.4 million.  The Asian country has detected 5,753 cases of the Omicron variant since the beginning of December, a number which, according to experts, could be much higher.

The Indian Health Ministry said the country passed the 250,000 cases per day mark for the first time in more than seven months.

In some cities such as New Delhi, infection figures have surpassed the records reached during the second wave. The Indian capital recorded 28,867 COVID-19 cases yesterday, up from a peak of about 25,000 last May.

However, health authorities have pointed out that the Omicron-driven spike in cases requires fewer hospitalizations than the delta variant, which was predominant during the second wave in the country.

Despite the increase in infections, the country's authorities granted a permit for the celebration this Friday of Makar Sankranti, a religious bath in the Ganges River that Hindu devotees consider auspicious in a festival that marks the end of winter and the arrival of longer days.

India became the global epicenter of the pandemic in April and May 2021, during the second wave that brought this nation to a peak of more than 400,000 infections and more than 4,500 deaths per day.