India is grappling with a severe surge in COVID-19 cases, surpassing 200,000 new infections on Thursday. The country's two largest cities, New Delhi and Mumbai, have implemented strict restrictions to curb the virus's spread.
In an effort to manage the overwhelming number of cases, New Delhi has repurposed hotels and banquet halls into COVID-19 treatment centers. Additionally, cemeteries in the region are facing a shortage of space due to the rising death toll.
Experts attribute the latest wave of infections and deaths to large-scale political rallies for local and state elections, as well as a major Hindu festival. These events acted as superseding factors, significantly contributing to the virus's resurgence.
The pandemic has had a profound impact on India's economy, plunging millions into poverty. According to the Pew Research Center, India's middle class shrank by approximately 32 million people in 2020 alone. Jayati Ghosh, a development economist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, stated, \"It has set back our growth trajectory hugely and created much greater inequality.\"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing mounting criticism for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. While several cities have imposed restrictions and some states remain under lockdown, Modi has yet to declare a new national lockdown. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been sluggish, with limited supplies available. However, the government has expedited approvals for foreign-made vaccines and pledged to increase the supply to nearly 100 million doses by September, according to Reuters.
As cases and deaths continue to rise, public health experts warn of the potential emergence of new virus variants. Alina Chan, a postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, emphasized to The Wall Street Journal that widespread infections increase the likelihood of mutations. In March, India's health ministry labs identified all three current COVID-19 variants in population samples, along with a new "double-mutant variant." This variant, potentially originating in India, has already been detected in California, according to Dr. Benjamin Pinsky, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Stanford University.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
