Topline
India, the current epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, has reported more than 2 million new cases and 18,000 Covid-related deaths this week alone, as a catastrophic second wave continues throughout the country, pushing hospitals and crematoriums past their breaking point.
The shrouded body of a Covid-19 victim awaits last rites at a crematorium in New Delhi on Saturday. ... [+]
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Key Facts
India's Health Ministry on Saturday reported 401,993 new infections, the highest number of new cases reported yet in a single country in a 24-hour span.
Hospitals throughout the country continue to plead for medical supplies, especially oxygen.
Despite being the world's leading producer of vaccines, only 2% of India's population has been vaccinated.
A crematorium worker takes a momentary break in New Delhi on Saturday.
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A relative of a Covid-19 patient pleads with police while waiting his turn to replenish empty oxygen ... [+]
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
A charred hospital bed inside the Patel Welfare Covid Hospital in Bharuch. A fire overnight Friday ... [+]
AFP via Getty Images
A relative of a person who died of COVID-19 is consoled by another at a cremation site in Jammu.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Family members collect the remains of Covid-19 victims after a mass cremation in New Delhi.
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A man rests after performing the last rites for a relative t a crematorium in New Delhi on Saturday. ... [+]
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Rows of burning funeral pyres of people who died of Covid-19 outside a crematorium in New Delhi on ... [+]
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The executive director of Batra Hospital hospital in New Delhi took to social media Saturday to ... [+]
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
An open-air crematorium set up for coronavirus victims at an abandoned granite quarry on the ... [+]
AFP via Getty Images
Key Background:
The surge in cases and hospitalizations in India has been attributed to several factors, including relaxed restrictions following a drop in infections in February, and environmental determinants such as decreased humidity in some parts of the country. Health experts believe a new variant of the coronavirus, B.1.617, often referred to as the "double mutant," is also responsible for the rampant spread. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have received increased criticism as well. As recently as April 17, a maskless Modi campaigned at rallies with thousands of supporters who also weren't wearing face coverings.
Chief Critic:
"The government has failed us all," said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the general secretary of opposition party Indian National Congress, earlier this week. "Even those of us who oppose and fight them could not have foreseen a complete abdication of leadership and governance at a time as devastating as this."
Tangent:
India's neighbor Nepal also is in crisis, with more than 5,600 new cases on Friday, its highest one-day total since October. In a statement issued Friday, Nepal's Health Ministry warned, "coronavirus cases have spiked beyond the capacity of the health system, and hospitals have run out of beds," adding, ominously, "the situation is unmanageable."
Further Reading:
India's Daily Covid Cases Soar Past 400,000 As Crisis Deepens (Forbes)
U.S. Promises To Send Crucial Oxygen Supplies To Covid-Ravaged India (Forbes)
