COVID-19: India Reports Record 3.54 Lakh Cases In 24 Hours, Hospitals Continue To Struggle With Oxygen

India reported 3,54,709 fresh COVID-19 cases and 2,808 deaths On Sunday, April 25. The total number of cases now stands at 1.73 crore, while the death toll is now 1,95,137. This is the fifth consecutive day the country has registered over three lakh cases in a single day. India has been reporting over one lakh cases for 20 consecutive days now. Nearly 10 lakh cases have been reported in the last three days, reported NDTV

With 3.14 lakh cases reported on Thursday, India became the first country to register the highest ever daily tally by any country so far. Before this, the highest single-day rise was recorded in the United States that reported over 2.97 lakh cases in January.

Deteriorating Situation In Hospitals

The rapid increase in the number of infected cases is putting a heavy burden on the health infrastructure. With the record rise in daily cases each day, hospitals are getting overcrowded and face a massive shortage of medical oxygen, especially in the national capital. Patients in critical conditions had to wait for hours before they could be admitted. Several patients in Delhi died waiting for the oxygen supply last week. On Friday, 25 people died in the Ganga Ram Hospital after the allocated 3.6 tonnes of oxygen which was supposed to be delivered by 5:00 pm on Friday, arrived at late midnight. Several hospitals have requested the Central and state governments to fulfil the increased demand for oxygen. Some of the hospitals had moved High Courts to get the adequate oxygen supply.

Dr Sumit Ray of the Holy Family Hospital said that every hospital is one its edges, and if the hospitals don't get the supply, several patients won't be able to survive. Most of the patients are on ventilators with the support of oxygen. "Within minutes, they will die. You can see these patients: they're on ventilators, they require high-flow oxygen. If the oxygen stops, most of them will die," Dr Ray told the BBC.

US Pledges Support

On Saturday, the US said the situation in India is a matter of deep concern owing to the rapid surge in cases amid the second wave. The Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was engaged in working with the Indian government to send more support and supplies. The Biden administration promised on Sunday to provide new aid, including the materials for making vaccines. The President of the United States tweeted on Sunday that as India has helped the US in the early stages of the pandemic, similarly, the United States would help India in its time of need.

Hours before Biden and Harris tweeted, the US National Security Advisor spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval had promised to make available for the raw material required to manufacture the Covishield vaccine. Meanwhile, the Indian government is deploying trains and the air force to transport supplies to hard-hit areas.

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