India battling surge in COVID-19 cases

COLOMBO (News1st): India's health system is tattering as the world's worst COVID-19 surge wears out the nation, which set another global record in daily infections for a second consecutive day with 332,730, yesterday. India has confirmed over 16 million cases so far, second only to the United States. It has also recorded 2,263 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for a total of 186,920. The situation was worsening by the day with hospitals taking to social media pleading with the government to replenish their oxygen supplies and threatening to stop fresh admissions of patients. Foreign media reported that India has hit a rate of one COVID-19 reported death every four minutes in New Delhi as the capital’s underfunded health system buckled. Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in India, faced an oxygen shortfall in the state capital, Mumbai yesterday after 15 people died as a result of an oxygen-fed fire that ripped through a COVID-19 ward in a hospital. The bodies of victims of the fire were being cremated at a nearby crematorium. The tragedy comes two days after 22 COVID-19 patients suffocated to death due to a malfunction in the flow of oxygen at a hospital in Nashik, Maharashtra. The Indian Air Force deployed its aircraft for airlifting medical personnel, oxygen containers, oxygen cylinders, trolleys and essential medicines to places where required. Meanwhile, speaking at a virtual briefing in Geneva, Chief of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom yesterday said, "The situation in India is a devastating reminder of what the virus can do." While India is reeling from a record rise in COVID-19 cases with the health system struggling to cope, the country's political parties continue to press ahead with crowded campaign rallies for state elections. However, the ruling BJP has said there is no link. A representative of the BJP speaking to foreign media said, "High cases have nothing to do with religious or political gatherings."