Daily US Times: Hospitals in India say their patients are dying because of oxygen shortage as Covid-19 case numbers and deaths set new records for a third day running.
India has recorded nearly a million coronavirus infections in three days, with 346,786 new infections overnight into Saturday.
At the Jaipur Golden Hospital in the capital Delhi, 20 people died overnight because of a lack of oxygen, according to an official.
The government says it is deploying air force and trains to transport supplies to hard-hit areas.
The number of deaths across the country rose by 2,624 in the 24 hours to Saturday, up from 2,263 on Friday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the situation in India, which has a population of over 1.3 billion, was a “devastating reminder” of what the coronavirus could do.
Earlier this year, the government of India believed it had beaten the virus. New cases fell to 11,000 by mid-February, Covid-19 vaccines were being exported, and in March the health minister of the country said India was “in the endgame” of the pandemic.
However, since then, a new surge in infections has erupted, driven by mass gatherings, such as the Kumbh Mela festival, where millions of pilgrims gathered earlier this month. New variants of the virus played part too.
Hospitals in the capital Delhi have warned they are at breaking point. At the Holy Family Hospital, intensive care units (ICU) are full and there is no room for any more beds.
Dr Sumit Ray SAID: “Almost every hospital is on the edge. If oxygen runs out, there is no leeway for many patients.”
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