Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India has been shaken by a storm of infections following a streak of record-high number of daily COVID-19 cases reported.
“We were confident, our spirits were up after successfully tackling the first wave, but this storm has shaken the nation,” Modi said in a radio address.
India on Saturday recorded 349,691 new infections, the fourth straight day that daily cases breached 300,000-mark.
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India’s total COVID-19 tally nears 17 million while death stood at 192,311 after 2,767 more fatalities were recorded, data from the health ministry showed.
Dr. VK Paul, head of India’s COVID-19 task force told Modi and state chief ministers that the health infrastructure is not sufficient to cope with the vicious wave of COVID-19 cases which is expected to peak in mid-May.
Hospitals in India’s capital New Delhi are turning away patients as medical oxygen and beds run out.
Several hospitals already declared full-capacity adding that they were unable to cope with the surge of COVID-19 patients.
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“Every day, it the same situation, we are left with two hours of oxygen, we only get assurances from the authorities,” one doctor said.
According to Reuters report, people began to line up stretchers and oxygen cylinders outside hospitals as they are desperately pleading to take their patients in.
The United States said it is deeply concerned by the massive surge in India and it will deploy additional support immediately.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker, earlier urged U.S. President Joe Biden to lift the embargo on U.S. exports of raw materials needed to produce vaccine developed by AstraZeneca. (RA)
