India on Wednesday reported its highest one-day tally of new infections and deaths and said a new "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus had been found.
The gains appeared to stabilize the market that had slumped from early this month, when prices hit their highest levels this year on expectations for demand recovery.
Brent crude was up 6 cents or 0.1pc to $64.59 a barrel by 1:33 p.m. ET (1733 GMT), while U.S. oil for delivery in April fell 22 cents, or 0.4pc, to $61.20 a barrel ahead of expiry.
US drillers are starting to take advantage of an earlier spike in prices on optimism about returning demand, adding the most rigs for extracting oil since January in the week through Friday.