The second wave of COVID-19 sweeps India

India’s second wave of COVID-19 infections has completely overwhelmed India’s medical infrastructure as families are eagerly seeking oxygen and other life-saving supplies on social media.

In the capital, New Delhi, the morgue is in use Mass cremation Deal with the bodies of COVID victims. In some hospitals, patients are waiting outside in an ambulance due to lack of internal ventilation equipment.

Volunteers have also been working hard to solve supply problems, including Indian careIt’s a community of more than 3,000 people who use social media to get all kinds of information from blood donors to oxygen and medicines.

Mohd Saqib, a 23-year-old student who recently joined the organization, told BuzzFeed News that calls for help are increasing every day.

Saqib said: “We are lost from Indian families every day.” “Being a person [makes a] Request, and then after a period of time, we know that the same person no longer exists, this moment is the worst moment. “

in a emergency meeting Under the auspices of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Narendra Modi), officials agreed to transfer oxygen for industrial purposes to meet immediate medical needs and use the country’s transportation network to more quickly deliver to those most in need. The state provides oxygen.

Modi also called on states to take stronger action on possible supply hoarding.

In the first year of the pandemic, India escaped the worst of COVID-19.Although the country ranks fourth in the world rankings Official global death tollAfter the United States, Brazil and Mexico, its mortality rate is relatively low relative to its nearly 1.4 billion population. As India enters 2021, the disease appears to be under control, as the number of cases and deaths has fallen from the peak in September.

But since March, many infections have broken out in the country, suspected to be caused by a new variant of the coronavirus called B.1.617.India’s National Institute of Virology reports that this variant has taken The leader in gearboxes,Appear in Approximately 61% of the test cases In a province last week. It is sometimes called a “double mutation” variant because it contains two mutations associated with increased infectivity.Role in the Indian outbreak Not clear yet Because of the limited medical testing of the variants there.

Now, three-thirds of the COVID-19 cases recorded every day in the world are in India, and the rate of new infections is growing faster than any other country. Approximately 2,000 COVID-related deaths are also recorded every day, accounting for approximately one-sixth of the global total.but Analysis of the British “Financial Times” According to cremation records, many people who died of COVID-19 in India are not included in the official statistics.

Giridhar R. Babu, an epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), whose healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, warned that “this is neither the last wave nor the last pandemic”.

In the interview Local averageBabu said that the current situation in India should arouse global attention.

Babu said: “If disease control is neglected in some parts of the world, then every other place is at risk of infection.” “While expanding vaccine coverage, we need to scrutinize the country’s COVID situation in detail.

“There should be strong public health leadership and resources to establish a residential system, including strengthening epidemiological and genomic surveillance of COVID-19 to detect outbreaks. Without focusing on strengthening the health system, especially without strengthening human resources In the context of recruitment and capacity building, it is unrealistic to expect tangible benefits.”

The situation in India has been partly blamed on the government, critics including the PHFI president, Accuse Modi’s authorities announced too early that efforts should be made to strengthen the country’s medical infrastructure in order to win the battle against the virus.

Instead, India’s electoral authorities declared Key election In five states, the country’s cricket matches have given the green light to international competitions, where there is a stadium full of spectators and an Indian festival. Kumbu Mela Brought millions of people to Haridwar on the Holy Day.

Regarding global efforts to vaccinate people against the coronavirus, India’s growing COVID-19 crisis is also bad news.The Serum Institute of Pune, India is the world’s largest manufacturer of vaccines and its duties are Initially produced 200 million doses An Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for COVAX is a collaboration of WHO, Epidemic Prevention Innovation Alliance and Vaccine Alliance Gavi, aiming to bring affordable vaccines to developing countries around the world.

However, the promotion of domestic vaccines in India has been very difficult. Only 1.4% of the population The COVID-19 vaccine has now been fully vaccinated.In late March India suspends vaccine exports Shift the supply of AstraZeneca vaccines to its own vaccination drive.

Serum Institute of India sign the agreement Once approved, approximately one billion doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by the US company Novavax can be produced. Therefore, further pressure to use the country’s vaccine production capacity to strengthen its faltering plan will have a ripple effect across the world.India Also argued The United States’ export controls on raw materials used to produce vaccines will affect its ability to meet global demand.

The U.S. is also under pressure to donate About 20 million doses Unused AstraZeneca vaccine that has not been authorized by the FDA.AstraZeneca said it will soon 30 million doses Ready, even though the United States Agree to send 4 million doses were delivered to Canada and Mexico in March.When asked about donating these AstraZeneca stocks, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Friday, “As our confidence in our own supply grows, the United States will “explore options.” Ship overdose vaccine overseas. He pointed to President Joe Biden’s $4 billion pledge Compliments to COVAX in February, indicating that the country supports global vaccination.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that at the same time, the CDC is consulting with Indian health officials and providing technical assistance.

He said: “This is a terrible situation, and we are doing everything we can to help.” “Obviously, they need to vaccinate people.”