The shocking photos of the COVID-19 wave in India

The India He was seen overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of new cases of coronavirus per day, which has caused pain, fear and agony in many lifetimes as closures were enacted in Delhi and other cities.

India’s Ministry of Health on Wednesday reported 295,041 new cases and 2,023 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 182,553. Since the start of the pandemic, India has recorded 15.6 million cases, the second in importance after the United States.

Newly reported cases have exceeded 200,000 per day for a week, as people are infected faster than can be verified.

“This time, the infection spreads so quickly that people do not have time for treatment. Many people are dying before we can get a test report, ”said Dr SK Pandey of the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Many have blamed politicians for allowing high profile events such as mass rallies to happen..

Last month, religious leaders and hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshipers flocked to the banks of the Ganges in the northern Indian city of Haridwar to celebrate the great Kumbh festival. They believe that a dip in holy water will wash away their sins and prevent rebirth. A prominent Hindu religious leader died of COVID-19 soon after.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Secretary Amit Shah and opposition politicians took part in massive election rallies in five populated states with tens of thousands of supporters wearing no masks or social distancing.

Tens of thousands of farmers protesting against new land reform laws have camped on the outskirts of India’s capital in crowded tents and makeshift villages since November.

On Tuesday evening, Modi attempted to boost morale in a nationwide speech saying the government and the pharmaceutical industry were stepping up efforts to address shortages of hospital beds, oxygen, tests and vaccines. But, he admitted, “The increase in infections has come like a storm and there is a big battle ahead”.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that India was “once again waging a great battle”. “The situation was under control a few weeks ago and the second wave came like a hurricane,” Modi explained.

According to the press, the production of essential drugs against the coronavirus has slowed down and even suspended in some factories and tenders for oxygen production factories have been delayed.

Today, distraught relatives of the sick are forced to pay exorbitant black market prices for drugs and oxygen, and WhatsApp groups are inundated with desperate pleas for help.

Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was confined on Tuesday because his wife tested positive, tweeted Tuesday evening that some hospitals in the megalopolis had “only a few hours of reserve oxygen”.

India has administered more than 130 million vaccines to date and from May 1 all adults can be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the various states of the country have imposed different restrictive measures: since Monday evening, Delhi has been confined for a week, all non-essential stores are closed in Maharashtra and the state of Uttar Pradesh, which has 200 million inhabitants, imposes confinement during the weekend.

The Delhi lockdown has prompted tens of thousands of migrant workers to flee the megalopolis, reminiscent of last year’s human and economic crisis.

(With information from AP and Reuters)