MUMBAI (AFP, REUTERS) - Bollywood star Akshay Kumar said on Sunday (April 4) he has tested positive for Covid-19, becoming the latest Indian celebrity to contract the virus as the vast nation battles a new wave of cases.

India reported a record rise in coronavirus infections on Monday, becoming only the second country after the United States to register more than 100,000 new cases in a day, as hospitals in Maharashtra - its worst affected state - are overrun by patients.

"I wish to inform everyone that, earlier this morning, I have tested positive for Covid-19," the 53-year-old actor tweeted.

Kumar said last year that he drinks cow urine daily to stay healthy - a practice some Hindus believe has medical benefits, including against the coronavirus.

He tweeted that he is now under home quarantine and has "sought necessary medical care".

Saturday also saw Indian spin star Axar Patel announce he had tested positive and was in isolation ahead of the start of the lucrative Twenty20 Indian Premier League tournament.

The news came just a day after Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar said he had been hospitalised as a precautionary measure after testing positive a week earlier.

The country's daily infections have leapt about 12 fold since hitting a multi-month low in early February, when authorities eased most restrictions and people largely stopped wearing masks and following social distancing.

More infectious variants of the virus may have also played a role in the second surge, some epidemiologists say.

With 103,558 new infections, India has now reported 12.6 million cases, the highest after the US and Brazil, data from the health ministry showed.

India has recorded the most number of infections in the past week anywhere in the world. Deaths jumped by 478, still one of the lowest fatality rates in the world, raising the total to 165,101.