COVID-19 outbreaks continue to tear through India this week as the country records 362,727 new cases and 4,120 deaths on Thursday.
- For over two weeks, India has recorded more than 300,000 new cases and more than 3,000 deaths every day, CNN reports.
- On May 7, India recorded a record-breaking 414,188 new cases.
- On Tuesday, May 11, the country recorded a record-breaking 4,205 deaths.
According to Al Jazeera, “Health experts believe the actual numbers could be five to 10 times higher.”
Cases in Delhi decrease, cases in rural areas increase
After weeks of devastation in the union territory of Delhi, where positivity rates reached 35%, Delhi saw a decrease in cases Thursday with a positivity rate of 14%, CNN reports
- Similarly, the city of Mumbai has seen a drop in positivity rates from 25% down to 7%.
Yet as national case counts continue to surge, the worst of the outbreaks have begun shifting from metropolitan areas to rural areas, according to The New York Times. Concerningly, rural areas and smaller states have less medical supplies and infrastructure as well as lower testing rates to respond to the rise of cases.
Southern states have begun refusing to share their oxygen and medical supplies as cases continue to rise and the hospital system becomes overtaxed, The New York Times reports.
COVID-19 vaccines suspended as shortages persist
On Wednesday, three states in India suspended vaccinations for people between the age of 18 to 44 years old. The western state of Maharashtra, the southern state of Karnataka, and the central union territory of Delhi have all suspended vaccinations, according to CNN.
- Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia blamed the suspension in Delhi on the “vaccine mismanagement” of the central government in a tweet on Wednesday.
- Currently, India’s full vaccination rate is just under 3% in a nation of 1.3 billion people.
What happened on the Ganges River?
Since the beginning of this week, officials in the eastern state of Bihar have found more than 70 bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims floating in the Ganges River. As of Thursday, Bihar state officials have placed a net across the river to catch any further bodies, according to CNN.
- In total, more than 90 bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims have washed up on other rivers throughout India, The Guardian reports.
Officials have not yet determined why or how the bodies ended up in the river. However, according to The Guardian and The Evening Standard, the rising cost of cremation due to shortages of firewood and overrun crematoriums has contributed.
These recent developments come while India struggles with a new “variant of concern,” a 50% positivity rate in Goa last week and a new issue of “black fungus.”