NBC News: “India passed 200,000 Covid-19 deaths Wednesday, becoming only the fourth country to do so, as it battles a devastating second wave of infections. The surge in new infections has stretched hospitals across the country to a breaking point, with widespread shortages of medical oxygen and beds. Patients and their loved ones desperately search for hospitals with intensive care units that can make room for them, turning to social media to find access to vacant beds and oxygen online. Increased infections are not only overwhelming the hospitals, but also crematoriums which are running out of space. Funerals are held in parks, parking lots and other temporary cremation grounds – images of bodies burning on rows of funeral pyres have been seen worldwide.”
“India, the world’s second most populous country, reported 360,960 new Covid infections on Tuesday, again breaking a record for the highest single-day figure globally, according to data from the Indian Ministry of Health. Overall India has recorded 17.9 million cases, second only to the United States with more than 32 million cases. Tuesday was also India’s deadliest day of the pandemic so far, with 3,293 deaths. Experts fear the official tally vastly underestimates the real death toll in a nation of over 1.35 billion people.”