MUMBAI (Reuters) – India recorded 22,890 new coronavirus infections, the health ministry said on Friday, taking its overall tally to 20,000 short of the 10-million mark.

A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a man amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a wholesale market, in the old quarters of Delhi, India. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

India has recorded the world’s second-highest number of infections behind the United States, but numbers have dipped steadily since hitting a peak in September. Daily cases were below 30,000 for the fifth straight day on Friday.

Deaths rose by 338, taking the total to 144,789, the health ministry said.