India’s coronavirus crisis is deepening, with hospitals shrinking under increasing pressure from the second wave of infections.
According to government data, the South Asian country on Tuesday reported 259,170 new cases and 1,761 deaths over a 24-hour period. It is the sixth consecutive day that India’s daily count of cases has exceeded 200,000, while the daily (still relatively low) death toll is rising.
Cases have been on the rise since February, and so far this month India has reported more than 3.1 million new cases and more than 18,000 deaths. The total accumulated cases have exceeded 15 million, making India the second most infected country behind the United States.
“Due to the large number of cases, due to the increase, we are seeing that hospitals are really overwhelmed, and this is a challenge we have to face,” K VijayRaghavan, chief scientific adviser to the Indian government, told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” on Tuesday.
Hospitals abandon patients due to lack of beds, including those who are seriously ill. In some cases, unrelated patients are forced to share beds, the media reported. Sanitary facilities also have little oxygen supply and, according to reports, the government diverts oxygen destined for industries for medical use.
VijayRaghavan said the government is trying to deal with the stress of the medical system by moving health workers from one place to another and setting up emergency hospitals.
Covid facility being prepared at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex on April 19, 2021 in New Delhi, India.
Mohd Zakir | Hindustan Times | Getty Images
States are partially closing
So far, India has withstood a second blockade nationwide: last year’s nationwide closure from late March to May hurt the informal sector disproportionately and removed India from its growth trajectory.
However, states are intensifying social restrictions as the affected sites are partially blocked.
The epicenter of the second wave is India’s richest state, Maharashtra, which hosts the country’s financial capital, Bombay. The Western state alone has reported more than a million new cases since early April.
Maharashtra is already in a state of partial blockade until May 1. But reports say new restrictions are expected, as the daily case count shows few signs of slowing down.
The national capital of Delhi and India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, are also among a handful of regions and states where Covid-19 cases are on the rise.
Delhi on Monday entered a six-day partial closure where only essential services would be allowed to operate.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said at a virtual press conference that while it is generally against a closure, keeping people at home in Delhi would help the local government organize more hospital beds and work with the federal government to increase the supply of oxygen and drugs. He implored people to observe the blockade and not go out unnecessarily.
Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, have also intensified restrictions such as the introduction of night curfews.
Extend vaccines to more groups
Serum Institute is producing The AstraZeneca feature, known locally as Covishield. The world’s largest vaccine maker previously said its production capacity was “very stressed” and that they needed about $ 400 million to increase supply.
VijayRaghavan told CNBC that India is “fully aware that we are part of the global supply chains and that there is a moral, economic and pragmatic responsibility when it comes to balancing what we should have for our people. and what we need, our responsibilities elsewhere. And we’ll both meet. “
India has also recently approved a third vaccine for emergency use: Sputnik V, which is being developed in Russia. It also authorized foreign-made vaccines that have received emergency approval from agencies listed by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan and the World Health Organization.