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India is experiencing a massive crisis in handling record numbers of COVID cases requiring hospitalization and precious oxygen, which is running out.
For the third day, India set a world record for new COVID-19 infections -- 346,786 -- with a record daily death toll of 2,624. From the BBC account:
"At the Jaipur Golden Hospital in Delhi, 20 people died overnight because of a lack of oxygen, an official said.
The government says it is deploying trains and the air force to transport supplies to hard-hit areas.
The number of deaths across India 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 was a 'devastating reminde' of what the coronavirus could do.
Earlier this year, the Indian government believed it had beaten the virus. New cases fell to 11,000 by mid-February, vaccines were being exported, and in March the health minister said India was 'in the endgame' of the pandemic.
However, since then, a new surge has erupted, driven by the emergence of new variants, as well as mass gatherings, such as the Kumbh Mela festival, where millions of pilgrims gathered earlier this month." (our emphasis)
The heartbreaking scenes of Indians massing in large crowds -- for their Holi celebration weeks ago, to religious observances like the one noted above -- the outbreak as people avoided masks and social distancing, believing that the worst was over. Reminiscent of cult leader and sociopath Donald "Loser" Trump, recent massive political rallies have exposed perhaps hundreds of thousands to the virus, according to the New York Times article linked above. That, coupled with people in authority sending the wrong signals, suggests that India has a dark spring ahead.
(AP photos: top, Ambulances line up in Ahmedabad, Ajit Solanki, bottom, Sikh volunteers fill oxygen bottles in Delhi, Aitaf Quadri)
