A nurse attends to a patient at a free COVID-19 care center being operated by a Sikh voluntary organization in Ghaziabad, outskirts ofNew Delhi, India, Monday, May 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Amit Sharma)

NEW DELHI — India's total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours.

The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks on Monday. Active cases in the country also decreased by more than 165,000 on Tuesday — the biggest dip in weeks.

But deaths have continued to rise and hospitals are still swamped by patients.