India recorded first drop in COVID-19 cases and deaths in a week

India recorded the first drop in covid cases in a week on Tuesday, nearly 30,000 fewer than the previous day with a total of 323,144 new infections, while there was also the first decline in deaths in 14 days, with 41 fewer than the last 24 hours, for a total of 2,771 deaths.

The positive data comes during the worst phase of the pandemic in India, bringing the cumulative total to 17.6 million cases and 197,894 deaths, according to the Indian Ministry of Health.

The country has become the global epicenter of the pandemic due to the ferocious advance of the virus which, within weeks, has dramatically multiplied the rate of positives, bringing in record numbers and causing a health collapse in hospitals in the most affected areas, such as New Delhi or western Maharashtra.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Monday stressed the “more than heartbreaking” situation in India, whose data currently represent more than a third of the global total of infections.

The health crisis the country is going through has left images of saturated hospitals and massive cremations that have sparked international support and the announcement of aid from several countries, who promised to send the necessary medical supplies.

Among these shipments is the arrival this morning of a shipment of medical supplies from the UK, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. .

In addition, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a phone conversation with US President Joe Biden last night, to ratify the North American country’s aid commitment.

During the conversation with Biden, the importance of smooth and efficient supply chains of raw materials for vaccines and drugs was “emphasized. The partnership between India and the United States in the field of health can meet the global challenge of covid-19, ”Modi announced on his official Twitter account.

The Asian country sees its vaccination campaign as the main tool to mitigate the pandemic. Until, 142 million doses have been administered since its launch last January, including 3.3 million in the past 24 hours.

With information from EFE

KEEP READING: