News
India Sets New Record for Daily COVID-19 Fatalities
Credit: Unsplash
Although it might seem like the pandemic is approaching its end in the United States, in other parts of the globe, the situation is worsening. Owing to factors like high population density, limited vaccine access, and alarming new variants and diseases, India has now become the central point of the global COVID-19 crisis.
On Thursday, India broke a new world record for the highest number of COVID-19-related fatalities reported in a single day, registering 6,148 deaths within a 24-hour period, surpassing the previous daily death toll record set by the United States. The daily count of new cases has barely dipped below 100,000 over the last three days, with the majority of infections and deaths concentrated in the poorer regions of India. In one of these regions, the state of Bihar, the official COVID-19 death toll was revised from 5,400 to over 9,400, taking into account the deaths that occurred in non-public healthcare facilities.
This surge in the second wave of the pandemic that commenced in India back in February has only just started to show signs of slowing down after peaking in May. Hospitals are facing shortages not only in terms of beds, oxygen, and medications but also in medical personnel. Doctors and nurses are succumbing to the virus due to prolonged exposure to infected patients. The Indian government is already anticipating the possibility of a third wave of infections in the upcoming fall season.
India has recorded over 6,000 daily Covid deaths — the highest ever globally, with the vaccination program making slow progress – CNBC https://t.co/ry9ieLIirK via @GoogleNews
— Summerton News (@SummertonNews) June 10, 2021
Experts concur that the most effective way to combat further escalation of this crisis is to prioritize the vaccination campaign. India has faced challenges in distributing vaccines, with issues like low vaccine supplies and bureaucratic hurdles impeding the process. Due to these obstacles, only about 5% of India’s population has been fully vaccinated. The government is aiming to have around 2 billion vaccine doses available by December, all of which will be distributed free of charge under the directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
