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 A shipment from Britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen
concentrators, arrived in Delhi, said Reuters partner ANI, while
France is sending oxygen generators able to provide 250 patients
with a year's worth of the gas, its embassy said.
The first "Oxygen Express" train pulled into the capital, New Delhi,
laden with about 70 tonnes of oxygen from an eastern state, but the
crisis has not abated in the city of 20 million at the epicentre of
the latest wave of infections.
"For seven days, most of us haven't slept," said Dr K. Preetham, an
administrator at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, adding that the
shortage of oxygen was a crucial worry.
"Because of the scarcity, we are forced to put two patients on one
cylinder," he told Reuters.
The World Health Organisation said it was working to deliver 4,000
oxygen concentrators to India, where a "perfect storm" of mass
gatherings, more contagious variants and low vaccination rates have
sparked the outbreak.
"Many people rush to the hospital, even though home-based care
monitoring...can be managed very safely," its spokesman, Tarik
Jasarevic, told Reuters in an email.
India's 323,144 new cases over the past 24 hours stood below a
worldwide peak of 352,991 hit on Monday, while 2,771 deaths took the
toll to 197,894.
Fewer infections were largely due to a drop in testing, health
economist Rijo M John of the Indian Institute of Management in the
southern state of Kerala said on Twitter.
"This should not be taken as an indication of falling cases, rather
a matter of missing out on too many positive cases."
Graphic: Daily COVID-19 cases in India -
https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/INDIA/
xlbpgemjlpq/chart.png
KUMBH CROWDS
Delhi is in lockdown, as are the southern state of Karnataka and the
worst-hit state of Maharashtra, although some states had been set to
lift curbs this week.
The patchwork curbs, complicated by local elections and mass
gatherings such as the months-long Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival,
could drive breakouts elsewhere.
About 20,000 devout Hindus gathered on the banks of the Ganges river
in the northern city of Haridwar on the last auspicious day of the
festival for a bath they believe will wash away their sins.
"We believe Mother Ganga will protect us," said a woman on the
riverbank, where Reuters images showed people bathing with few signs
of distancing measures, despite calls to be careful.
Tuesday's turnout was low, however, said Sanjay Gunjyal, a police
official handling the arrangements, compared to the hundreds of
thousands in previous weeks, as the crisis prompted many monk groups
to limit participants to "symbolic" numbers.
India has turned to its armed forces for help as new cases have
topped 300,000 since April 21.
Even China, locked in a year-long military standoff with India on
their disputed Himalayan border, said it was trying to get medical
supplies to its neighbour.
[to top of second column] |
 Prime Minister Narendra Modi
has urged all citizens to get vaccinated amid
the "storm" of infections.
In some of the worst-hit cities, bodies were
being cremated in makeshift facilities in parks
and parking lots, while television channels
showed images of bodies crammed into an
ambulance in the western city of Beed as
transport ran short. 'WORSE
BEFORE IT GETS BETTER'
India has converted hotels and railway coaches into critical care
facilities to make up for the shortage of beds, but experts say the
next crisis will be a lack of healthcare professionals.
"Unfortunately beds do not treat patients - doctors, nurses and
paramedics do," said Devi Shetty, a cardiac surgeon and chairman of
the Narayana Health chain of hospitals.
The Indian Medical Association said private hospitals in the western
city of Surat would have to shut if they did not get oxygen soon,
adding "We fear a law-and-order situation might ensue".
Companies ranging from conglomerates such as Tata Group and Reliance
Industries Ltd to Jindal Steel and Power have stepped forward to
help supply medical oxygen.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has warned that the Indian economy, the
world's sixth largest, could falter as a result of the spike in
cases, creating a drag for the global economy.
"We expect that this could get worse before it gets better," said
its vice president, Myron Brilliant.
Australia halted direct passenger flights from India until May 15,
joining a growing list of nations taking steps to keep out more
virulent variants.
VACCINE UNCERTAINTY
India, with a population of about 1.3 billion, has a tally of 17.64
million infections, but experts believe it runs much higher.
Vaccine demand has outstripped supply, partly because of a shortage
of raw materials and a fire at a facility making the AstraZeneca
shot.
Supply uncertainty could force western Maharashtra to postpone
inoculations for people aged between 18 and 45, a government
official said. India had planned to free up vaccination for all
adults from May.
India is negotiating with the United States, which has said it will
share 60 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine with other
countries.
"Major lobbying is on ... to secure as much as possible," said a
senior official participating in the talks, adding that Modi had
been assured of priority for India.
(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra in Bengaluru, Rupam Jain and Shilpa
Jamkhandikar in Mumbai, Amlan Chakraborty and Sanjeev Miglani in
Delhi, Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow; additional reporting by Rajendra
Jadhav in Satara and Sumit Khanna in Ahmedabad; Writing by Himani
Sarkar; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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