New COVID-19 cases in India rise sharply for fifth consecutive day

FILE PHOTO: Commuters disembark from a suburban train at a railway station, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Mumbai, India, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India reported more than 27,000 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, with infections sharply rising for a fifth consecutive day, but the chief minister of the capital New Delhi said there was no need to panic, citing low hospitalisation rates.

The country's largest cities, including Delhi and the financial capital Mumbai, have seen a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, including those of the Omicron variant, which has triggered a fresh wave of infections in other parts of the world.