AP PHOTOS: India is overwhelmed by the massive growth of the virus
From the Associated Press
India has been overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of new cases of coronavirus daily, bringing pain, fear and agony into many lives as blockages have been placed in Delhi and other cities.
The Indian Ministry of Health reported 295,041 new cases on Wednesday with 2,023 deaths, bringing the total number of deaths to 182,553. Since the beginning of the pandemic, India has recorded 15.6 million cases, the second largest behind the United States.
The new reported cases exceeded 200,000 every day for a week – people being infected faster than they can be tested.
“This time, the infection is spreading so fast that people do not have time to receive medication. Many people die before we can get a test report, ”said Dr. SK Pandey of the Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Many have accused politicians of allowing super-widespread events, such as mass rallies, to take place.
Religious leaders and hundreds of thousands of devoted Hindus descended on the banks of the Ganges River in the northern Indian city of Haridwar last month for a major Kumbh festival. They believe that a bath in holy water will wash away their sins and prevent rebirth. A prominent Hindu religious leader died of COVID-19 shortly after.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Interior Minister Amit Shah, as well as opposition politicians attended mass election rallies in five populated states, with tens of thousands of supporters wearing no masks or social distances.
Tens of thousands of farmers protesting against the new agricultural reform laws have been camping on the outskirts of the Indian capital in crowded tents and makeshift cities since November.
Modi on Tuesday night tried to support the spirits in a national address, saying the government and the pharmaceutical industry are stepping up efforts to cope with the shortage of hospital beds, oxygen, tests and vaccines.
But, he acknowledged, “the rise in infections has come like a storm and a great battle is coming.”