India has been battling a second deadly surge of COVID-19. While new case counts have dropped in recent days, yesterday India set a new global record for the most deaths in a single day in any country at any time during the pandemic, The Associated Press reports.
- On Tuesday, officials reported 4,529 coronavirus deaths.
The previous record for the highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day was 4,475 deaths, recorded in the U.S. on Jan 12, reports the AP.
How bad are the coronavirus outbreaks in India?
As the Deseret News reported, the current surge of outbreaks has devastated India’s health care system, causing shortages of beds, oxygen and other medical supplies.
- Coronavirus deaths have been over 4,000 for several days, says The New York Times.
- For the third day, new cases stayed below 300,000, with officials reporting 267,334 new virus cases on Tuesday, according to CNBC.
- The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has just exceeded 25 million, a total second only to the U.S., The New York Times and the AP report.
Experts, per the AP and CNBC, say these numbers are almost certainly undercounted. With hospitals running out of beds, many patients died at home, deaths which are typically left out of the official count.
Why the rise in India’s coronavirus deaths?
According to The New York Times, the drop in daily cases likely reflects the success of urban lockdowns and response efforts, particularly in New Delhi and Mumbai. However, in rural areas with weaker medical infrastructure and limited testing availability, coronavirus outbreaks likely continue unchecked.
- Tuesday’s record number of deaths, amid a decreased number of new cases, suggests that those infected earlier are dying, The New York Times reports.
India’s vaccination campaign continues to stall, reports The Hill and The New York Times. In early April, about 4 million doses were administered per day. This week about 2 million or fewer doses were administered per day.
- This week, western India was hit by the strongest cyclone on record, Cyclone Tauktae, which complicated coronavirus relief efforts, CNN reports.
The country’s second wave has also been complicated by a deadlier and more transmissible variant and a new issue “black fungus,” according to Deseret News.