India’s healthcare system is nearing collapse – Coronavirus Fact Vs. Fiction

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On Wednesday, the country saw the largest daily increase in infections and deaths since the beginning of the pandemic – 295,041 new cases of Covid-19 and 2,023 deaths – as hospitals removed patients and begged for more oxygen, while desperate families pleaded for beds and medicines on social media.

“The volume is huge,” said Jalil Parkar, a senior lung consultant at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, who had to turn his lobby into an additional Covid ward. “It’s like a tsunami.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Tuesday, acknowledging the country’s “great battle” against Covid-19. However, he called on states to “use a blockade as a last resort,” even though the capital New Delhi entered the first full day of a week-long blockade, reports Jessie Yung and Vedika South.
On Monday, Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, warned that the failure to stop traffic in the city could lead to “tragedy”. When India was shut down in March last year, the mass exodus of migrant workers from cities became one of the most enduring images of the country’s fight against the virus – and is believed to have helped spread Covid-19 nationwide.

This month, thousands of people were seen heading to stations and bus stations in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, but the central government said there was no reverse migration.

The second wave, which overtook the first, was a situation of satisfaction, experts say, indicating the government’s relaxation measures and a false sense of security on the part of the public. A few weeks before cases began to rise again, the federal health minister said India was “at the end of the game” of the pandemic.

Despite warnings about the risks of Covid, sports matches were resumed, elaborate weddings took place, and cinemas were reopened. This month, one of the largest pilgrimages on Earth, the Kumbh Mela Hindu festival, continued.

Modi, who has a significant Hindu base, refrained from commenting for weeks about Kumbh Mela and his Covid risks. He finally appealed to pilgrims to avoid gathering in Haridwar earlier this week. But for some, Modi’s message sounded empty as he continued to hold massive political rallies ahead of parliamentary and local council elections in four states and a union territory.

Hindu devotees make holy dives in the Ganges river in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela year

YOU ASKED. I ANSWERED.

Q. What should we do differently now that variant B.1.1.7 has become dominant in the United States?

A: Variant B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the UK, is more transmissible than previous strains, which means we need to be very careful, says CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen. This includes:
  • Being even more guarded than before. “For example, if you plan to eat outdoors at a restaurant, check to make sure it follows CDC guidelines and that there is a distance of at least 6 meters between meals. Those who are not yet fully vaccinated should wait until they are vaccinated before eating in the immediate vicinity with someone else at their table, “she said.
  • Wear a mask in public, exercise physical distance, and avoid indoor encounters with people who are not in your household.
  • “It’s even more critical than ever to be vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn,” Wen added.
Send your questions here. Are you a medical worker fighting Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you face: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT TODAY

The EU regulator says the benefits outweigh the risks of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after finding a possible link to blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday it had found a possible link between the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine and rare blood clots, but stressed that the overall benefits outweigh the risks. For use in the European Union, the agency said the vaccine should include a warning about “unusual blood clots with low blood platelets”.
The underlying mechanism that may be involved in blood clots related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the US and the AstraZeneca vaccine in Europe is extremely rare and appears to involve a poorly understood immune response.

Experts say the administration of vaccines far outweighs the risks. Blood clots are generally relatively common – affecting 900,000 Americans a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And being infected with coronavirus greatly increases this risk.

Covid-19 cases continue to rise in the United States, despite vaccinations. Here’s why.

Covid-19 vaccinations in the United States continue at an impressive pace, and now all Americans 16 and older can get a shot. But health officials warn that the country remains in a “complicated stage” of the pandemic.

In the past seven days, the United States has reported an average of more than 67,100 new Covid-19 infections daily, according to Johns Hopkins University. This is slightly below the previous week’s figure, but is 25% higher than it was almost a month ago.

There are several reasons for this increase, experts say, namely the dangerous variants of the coronavirus – such as the more contagious strain B.1.1.7 which contributed to fueling another growth in Michigan. Pandemic fatigue and more Americans moving around don’t help either.

Chinese vaccine nationalism softens as the country signals it could approve overseas shootings

As much as China could promote its domestically produced Covid-19 vaccines, it must also face reality.

Last month, Beijing issued a policy that makes it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa in China if they have received a Chinese vaccine. Experts warn that it is setting a dangerous precedent that could leave the world separate in vaccine silos.

There is also a practical problem: it is impossible to get a Chinese vaccine in many countries, including the US, because they have not been approved for use by regulators, report Nectar Gan and James Griffiths.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador received his first AstraZeneca fire on a live stream yesterday, while urging the country to trust vaccines.
  • The economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis is unsustainable, says the International Energy Agency, as it estimates that carbon emissions from energy consumption are set to increase by 1.5 billion tonnes in 2021.
  • A national nightgown in the Netherlands, designed to reduce social contacts, will end on April 28, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. Time storage has been in effect since January 23 and lasts between 22:00 and 04:30
  • As US health officials struggle to get more Covid-19 shots into their weapons to control the virus, experts warn that the country will face another challenge in the coming weeks: supply of the vaccine is likely to exceed demand.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on all citizens to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in his annual address to the nation on Wednesday. “It’s the only way to stop the deadly pandemic,” Putin said.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“About 30-40% of people with long-term Covid report an improvement in their symptoms after vaccines, so it gives us some hope in trying to understand what we can do to help them, but also what can cause the disease.” – Akiko Iwasaki, immunologist at Yale University.

In today’s episode, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, talks to Iwasaki about the treatment of long-haired Covid carriers and what we can do to help women and minorities succeed after an incredibly difficult year. Listen now.

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