India has recorded 50,040 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, official data showed, as concerns grew about the detection of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus in some states, Reuters reports.

The Covid-19 death toll in the country rose by 1,258 during the same duration, including 511 deaths reported from the state of Maharashtra, the health ministry data showed.

New variants are a particular concern in India, where more than half the population has not been vaccinated. Less than 6 per cent of India's adult population of 950 million has received two doses.

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