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Covid-19 - Devastating Second Wave in India - Updates and Discussion

57 minutes ago

For a fourth day in a row, India has set an unwelcome world record for the number of new coronavirus infections: a further 349,691 cases in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, with another 2,767 lives lost. The capital, Delhi, is one of the worst-hit areas. The BBC's Vikas Pandey reports from a city whose hospitals are overwhelmed and whose citizens are in desperation.

When Ashwin Mittal's grandmother's oxygen saturation level dropped a week ago, he started frantically looking for a hospital bed in Delhi. He called everybody he could, but every hospital refused.

Her condition deteriorated further on Thursday and he took her to the emergency rooms of several hospitals, but every place was full. They accepted the fate that she was going to die without getting any treatment. But she was gasping for every breath and Ashwin just couldn't bear it after a while.

He took her in his car and went from one hospital to another for several hours until one in north Delhi agreed to take her in the emergency for "a few hours". He was to continue looking for a bed.

Ashwin, who has also tested positive for coronavirus, continued his search while battling a high fever and severe body aches. But he couldn't find a bed, and the hospital continued to keep his grandmother in the emergency ward on compassionate grounds.

Doctors there said she needed an ICU and had a good chance of survival. A family friend told me that the hospital was planning to discharge her on Sunday as it was running out of oxygen.

"The family is back to where they started and has accepted the fate. They know that if she survives, it will be because of a miracle, not because of any treatment," the friend said.

Miracles are what many families in Delhi are left to rely on. Most hospitals are full and many of them are refusing new admissions owing to the uncertainty over oxygen supply.

Oxygen-equipped ambulances are in short supply and it's becoming difficult for families to transport patients to hospitals even if they find a bed.

At least 20 people died on Saturday at the Jaipur Golden Hospital in Delhi because of a lack of oxygen. Hospitals are sending SOS messages frantically every day, saying they have just few hours of oxygen left.

I know a few cases where patients have died because they did not get high-flow oxygen support. Every morning starts with frantic calls from friends, family and colleagues asking for a bed, oxygen cylinders or medicines. The number of people I am able to help is reducing every day as the doctors and officials who could earlier help are no longer available to speak on the phone. Helplines are not working and the vendors who could earlier help have run out of supplies.

I go to bed with a sense of defeat every night, but then pick myself up and start in the morning again as more and more people call for help. I can understand their helplessness as I lost a cousin a few days ago in a top hospital in the city. He waited for 18 hours to get a ventilator but the hospital didn't have any.

That's how Delhi is functioning at the moment. Friends are calling friends; social media is awash with desperate pleas for help.

But it's almost impossible to find a hospital bed here now. Oxygen cylinders and medicines are in short supply. On Saturday, Saroj Hospital and Batra Hospital told families to take their patients away as they were running out of oxygen.

The city has been been reporting more than 24,000 cases daily in the past few days. The hospitals are completely overrun, and healthcare workers are exhausted.

Some people I know are taking dangerous journeys with their critically ill relatives to other cities which are 300-500km (18-300 miles) away. Sivesh Rana's brother was in a critical condition but he couldn't find a bed in Delhi and decided to take him in an ambulance to a city in the neighbouring state of Haryana.

But his condition worsened during the journey and the ambulance wasn't equipped to deal with a critical patient. He died a few hours after arriving at the hospital.

Dr A Fathahudeen, who is part of Kerala state's Covid task force, says the crisis is unprecedented and doctors can't do much if oxygen supply is not guaranteed.

"You need high-pressure liquid oxygen for the smooth functioning of ventilators and bi-pap machines. When the pressure drops, the machines fail to deliver adequate oxygen into the lungs, and the consequences can be fatal," he says.

He adds that oxygen is one of the major treatments to stabilise the patient, allowing doctors time to assess them and plan a future course of treatment.

Dr Fathahudeen says urgent measures are needed as patients are dying without getting the treatment they require.

"The Indian army is one of the finest in the world to build makeshift hospitals and ICU beds within a short span of time. They should be roped in," he adds.

The situation is not very different in other cities, including Pune, Nashik, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore and Allahabad, as the second Covid wave devastates the country.

India reported 349,000 cases on Friday - a record daily spike. It reported 2,767 deaths. But experts say the actual numbers are likely to be much higher.

Getting tested has become very difficult in many cities as labs are overrun. As I earlier reported, many people are dying at home because they are not getting hospital beds or they are not being able to get tested for Covid. So, they don't find a place as a Covid patient in the database managed by different states.

Meanwhile, frantic calls continue - each one more heartbreaking than the last.

Another record. We are now heading towards 400,000 cases.
They lynched the Muslim for covid and doctors also suggestion giving the Muslim poison injections instead of covid injection.
How quickly the table turns but hearted and blinded hindu never learn.
After this they again lynching Muslim for something else.
They are very happy when kashmiri are under full lock-down.
Now burn in hell.
 
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Can india start burying their dead, if not forever then at least temporarily? Think. It's impossible to cremate thousands which comes at a huge financial and environmental cost. They should transport dead bodies to desert areas and bury them there.

That's a good set of points.
 
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Good to see some of the Pakistanis praying for us. I hope the goodwill continues instead of being just a temporary thing which has so often been in the past. For starters, Pakistan can restart trade with India reciprocating.
 
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We are not begging for your wishes or prayers..in fact we dont care..and yes...no matter how much we scold and hold modi responsible for some debacles, we will elect him again in 2024...he is the rigjt answer for all india haters outside and inside india.
Really? I have seen many videos of Indians begging for oxygen while their relatives die on the side (nothing wrong with doing that). You and your arrogant Bhakt buddies are just insulting their suffering.
 
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Very Good,

Myanmar is suffering, India is suffering
The two pagan enemies of Islam is suffering.
 
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Good to see some of the Pakistanis praying for us. I hope the goodwill continues instead of being just a temporary thing which has so often been in the past. For starters, Pakistan can restart trade with India reciprocating.

only when India reinstates Article 370 and give Kashmiris their rights.
 
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We are not begging for your wishes or prayers..in fact we dont care..and yes...no matter how much we scold and hold modi responsible for some debacles, we will elect him again in 2024...he is the rigjt answer for all india haters outside and inside india.

Sorry bro..I for one want india to take whatever help it can from china...be it medicines , vaccine or raw materials. It's nice of your govt to have extended the helping hand..much appreciated.

I'd like for you to say exactly that infront of the Indian families who have lost their loved ones, hopefully their anguish will set your stupid underdeveloped mind, straight. Don't talk like you speak for the rest of your nation's population.
 
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In this horrifying situation, I request all Pakistanis to pray for India please. Despite our differences, deep down we are only humans. 🥺😭
How can I pray for India when they killed Kashmiris on daily basis. The image of toddler sitting on the body of his grandfather sits hurts me.
 
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How can I pray for India when they killed Kashmiris on daily basis. The image of toddler sitting on the body of his grandfather sits hurts me.
That toddler's tears must have reached the heaven. It is a horrible and very painful sight. Something that strike a person's heart forever. When the toddler grows up into a man and recalled what happened on that gruesome day imagine what will be his reaction. Painful indeed.
 
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no Article 370, no trade. not one tomato should be sold to India, let alone free oxygen cylinders and respirators.
Trade is one thing that makes countries dependent on each other. A Pakistani businessman exporting something to India wouldn't want India-Pakistan relations to get bad since his business depends on a stable India and stable Pakistan. The same thing will be important for an Indian businessman exporting something to Pakistan. This will ensure that both countries will atleast try to have good relations with each other. Right now, since there's no trade both countries don't have anything to lose and thus we see a lot of hostility between both the countries. Trade is the first step to good relations.
 
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A certain section of the Indian society have teased, mocked and taken great pleasure out of the calamities that befell upon Pakistan over the decades. From terrorist bombings, shootings, plane disasters, to natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Indians take great joy in seeing Pakistanis die.
Now if Pakistan was in indias situation (God forbid) indians would have taken to social media to share their sickening joy of witnessing innocent Pakistanis die of the pandemic. They would have expressed their happiness in blaming the Pak army and Islam.
It wasnt too long ago Indian media and some politicians blamed Pakistan for spreading the Coronoa virus across the LOC.
 
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Unfortunately the illiterate Hindu massess have been taken in by Modi's snake-oil charms.

Modi is a man who has no qualification to lead India and not only has he damaged the Indian economy but also totally mishandled the virus, when India was in such a good position at the start of this year as the UK generously gave it a licence to produce as many of its AstraZeneca vaccine as it wants at no profit.
 
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