India hits coronavirus milestone

India, the world’s second-most populous country, also has the second-highest total of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began. On Monday, it totaled 4.2 million infections, passing Brazil and trailing only the United States. It has a rate of about three cases per 1,000 people compared to 19 cases per 1,000 in the United States. The capital city of New Delhi opened its Metro transportation system on Monday and plans to reopen bars on Wednesday. India had one of the world’s toughest lockdowns during the beginning of the pandemic, but officials decided to relax restrictions to counter a massive economic crash.

Are there any other significant outbreaks? The United Nations announced two confirmed cases among Syrian refugees in a camp in Jordan. None of the 650,000 Syrians forced into neighboring Jordan by a civil war had previously tested positive. Analysts fear poor living conditions in refugee camps could lead to devastating outbreaks.

Dig deeper: Read Julie Borg’s report in Beginnings on investigations into what creates COVID-19 immunity.