India extended lockdown in New Delhi after setting new record of nearly 350,000 coronavirus infections in 24 hours

Indian authorities reported on Sunday 349,691 new coronavirus infections, a new daily record which confirms a worrying upward trend in the epidemiological curve. This Sunday, there was also an extension of one more week of the detention imposed in New Delhi.

In terms of deaths, 2,767 deaths were recorded in 24 hours, also a new daily record, to add 192,311 since the start of the pandemic.

In total, India has accumulated 16,960,172 confirmed cases, while the number of active cases is already estimated above the threshold of 2.6 million, according to official data from the Indian Ministry of Health.. The bulletin also includes 14,085,110 patients who have recovered from the disease.

On Sunday, New Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an extension of one more week in the imprisonment imposed on the macrourbe.

“The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc. Public opinion agrees that the detention should be extended, so it will be extended by a week “, explained in statements collected by the newspaper ‘The Hindustan Times ”.

Meanwhile, problems with the oxygen supply to the most severely ill patients persist, so Kejriwal announced an increase in the supply to the city’s hospitals from 480 tonnes to 490 tonnes. “However, 700 tonnes are needed,” he warned.

Hospitals in New Delhi continue to issue emergency calls due to lack of oxygen. On Saturday, the Indian press reported the deaths of 25 people at Jaipur Golden Hospital in New Delhi due to low oxygen pressure. Twelve other patients died from similar causes in the states of Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

India is currently the country with the worst infection data in the world. The Asian country’s cases represent more than a third of the global total of infections confirmed by the World Health Organization yesterday, 849,130 ​​new covid-19 infections.

The rapid spread, which rose from less than 10,000 patients to nearly 350,000 per day, in less than three months, took a heavy toll on the healthcare system as it barely recovered from the impact of the first wave.

New Delhi, confined for more than a week, is one of the worst-hit regions, experiencing a multi-day supply crisis that is causing hospitals to collapse, mainly due to lack of oxygen.

Problems with meeting demand yesterday killed 20 people in a private city hospital after reserve levels fell to a minimum, easing pressure on vital supplies.

According to information from hospitals, several hundred patients hospitalized in various establishments requiring respiratory assistance are at serious risk due to oxygen shortages.

The government of prime minister, nationalist Narendra Modi, who has championed efforts to control the situation, had military planes and the national rail service to expedite the transfer of oxygen tanks for recharging.

The Air Force also sent one of its freighters to Singapore yesterday to bring in new containers.

The authorities have also decided on the exception of tariffs on the supply of oxygen, anti-ovoid vaccines and medical treatments related to the disease, with the aim of strengthening their stocks.

Meanwhile, attempts to control the situation of hospitals, led the government of the Indian capital today to extend by one week the measure of containment of its more than 20 million inhabitants. EFE

(With information from Europa Press and EFE)

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