Inside the world’s worst second wave
While the lockdown eases in the United Kingdom, there are countries like India which are suffering and going through a second wave of Covid-19.
Cases have significant increased in the past 60 days with an average of 357,040 every day. The number of cases had previously decreased to as low as 5000.
India’s health system seems to crush as it breaks global records. The difficulty to get access to oxygen, plasma and medical beds has led to a rapid increase in the death rate, with nearly 3498 deaths reported on April 29 alone.
Vaccinations are open to a majority of the population and all adults from May 1. But only 9% of the population is vaccinated with the first dose and just 1.8% is vaccinated with two.
This poses a threat to the entire nation as the medical facilities seem to deteriorate and are significantly insufficient for the entire population of the country.
Indian author Arundhati Roy has criticised how the government have handled the pandemic. According to The Independent, he slammed Narendra Modi for his early triumph over coronavirus and described it as an “outright crime against humanity”.
Basic facilities such as oxygen and medicine are being sold in the Black Market according to ABC News at high prices. In turn, becoming unaffordable for the poor sections of the country.
In order to curb the virus, state governments have imposed lockdowns and night curfews in various hotspots in India. Restaurants continue to operate for takeaways and shops remain shut.
A large community of influential celebrities and bloggers have started using their platforms to help people connect with organisations that can help with getting basic facilities, according to The Quint.
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