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May 3, 2021

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India鈥檚 daily COVID-19 toll at record high

Source: Agencies | 00:05 UTC+8 May 3, 2021 | Print Edition

INDIA’S new coronavirus cases dipped marginally yesterday but deaths from COVID-19 jumped by a record 3,689, with one more state going into lockdown as the creaky health care system is unable to cope with the massive caseload.

Authorities reported 392,488 new cases yesterday, pushing total cases to 19.56 million. So far, the virus has killed 215,542 people. India reported a record 401,993 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.

Indian hospitals, morgues and crematoriums have been overwhelmed as the country has reported more than 300,000 daily cases for more than 10 days straight. Many families have been left on their own to scramble for medicines and oxygen.

With the government unable to maintain a steady supply of oxygen, several hospital authorities sought a court intervention in the Indian capital where a lockdown has been extended by a week to contain the wave of infections.

“Water has gone above the head. Enough is Enough,” said New Delhi High Court, adding it would start punishing government officials if oxygen supplies to hospitals were not delivered.

Nearly 10 Indian states and union territories have imposed some form of restrictions, even as the federal government remains reluctant to impose a national lockdown.

The eastern state of Odisha became the latest to announce a two-week lockdown, joining Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. Other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have either imposed night curfews or weekend lockdowns.

The Indian Express newspaper reported yesterday that the country’s COVID-19 taskforce has advised the federal government to impose a national lockdown. Last month Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said all efforts should be made to avoid a lockdown.

The lockdown imposed last year after the first COVID-19 outbreak led to job losses as economic output fell a record 24 percent in April-June 2020 compared with the same period a year earlier.

India on Saturday opened up its inoculation drive to all adults, but supplies are running low and only online enrolments are allowed for the under-45s.

Since January, nearly 10 percent of Indians have received one dose, but only around 1.5 percent have received both, although the country is one of the world’s biggest producers of vaccines.

The head of the world’s largest vaccine maker, Serum Institute chief Adar Poonawalla, told The Times newspaper in London on Saturday during a business trip to Britain that he was being hounded by political and business leaders for more supplies.

“‘Threats’ is an understatement,” he said. “The level of expectation and aggression is really unprecedented. It’s overwhelming. Everyone feels they should get the vaccine.”

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