The country could see up to 500,000 daily cases before reaching the peak of its second wave as overwhelmed hospitals plead for oxygen. On Saturday, India registered 2,624 deaths and 346,786 new infections although the figures could be significantly larger due to limited testing.
According to the country’s current fatality rate of 1.14 percent in 100,000 cases, if it hits its expected peak, 5,700 people could potentially die per day.
Indian hospitals have been inundated with patients, and at least two hospitals in the capital Delhi reported they were running out of oxygen.
A number of patients purportedly died while waiting for new supplies to arrive.
Indian politician, Saurabh Bharadwaj, who is hospitalised in Delhi with coronavirus, posted a plea for help in Hindi on Twitter, saying there were just three hours of oxygen left where he was.
He wrote: ”A lot of people are dependant on oxygen and without oxygen, these people will die just like fish die in the absence of water.
”This is a time for all to come together to work.”
On Tuesday, Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal raised alarm over the low numbers of oxygen supplies across the city’s hospitals warning they could run out within hours.
He wrote in a tweet: “Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi.
“I again urge centre to urgently provide oxygen to Delhi. Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen.”
Citizens across the country have also had to ask for urgent help via their own means, with some using their social media channels to do so.One English tutor in south Delhi messaged a
WhatsApp group asking for urgent help for her elderly neighbours who presented worsening symptoms of coronavirus.
A message seen by the Guardian sent to a neighbourhood group chat read: “Urgent help needed. The Guptas are in pretty bad shape.
“They need oxygen but can’t find any. Please help.”
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