Coronavirus wave batters India's health system

Relatives of a deceased COVID-19 patient grieve in front of a hospital in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. The health situation has spiraled out of control. The country recorded more than 333,000 new infections in the last 24 hours — the highest daily caseload in the world. That means more than 1 million people in India have been infected with the virus in the past four days alone.

COVID-19 patients wait to be treated at this hospital in New Delhi. Many hospitals are completely overwhelmed. ""We are running desperately short of beds, desperately short of oxygen [and] essential medicines," Shuchin Bajaj, an Indian doctor and director of a hospital chain, told DW. "We are turning away patients. It's breaking our hearts. The situation in the country is almost apocalyptic."

Many desperate patients still set out for hospital — and sometimes have to wait for hours in front of them, like this man in a motor rickshaw in Ahmedabad. At least he got one of the increasingly scarce oxygen cylinders. In Delhi alone, according to official figures, there is a shortage of around 5,000 intensive care beds, and some hospitals have almost run out of oxygen.

Many places across the country, like here in Allahabad, are seeing people crowd oxygen refilling stations with empty cylinders to bring their relatives. Oxygen is already being traded at exorbitant prices on the black market. The government is considering stopping operations at oil refineries and other industries that use oxygen for production so it can be provided to hospitals.

On Friday night, a fire broke out in this hospital near Mumbai. The entire intensive care unit burned down, killing at least 13 COVID-19 patients. The cause of the fire is still unclear. But dangerous fires often occur in India — even in hospitals. The cause is usually poor or outdated equipment. Fire protection is often inadequate and emergency exits are rare.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 186,000 Indians have died as a result of the coronavirus. Currently, the country is registering more than 2,000 deaths every day. In many parts of the country, such as here in the capital, Delhi, the crematoriums and cemeteries can barely keep up with the number of bodies.

Some experts say the situation in the country has worsened because of the rapid spread of a particularly contagious new "double mutant" variant of the coronavirus, B.1.617. It has prompted many countries to impose entry bans on travelers from India — and even issue travel warnings for the country. The United States has done that even for its citizens already vaccinated against the coronavirus.

India is home to more than 1.3 billion people. But less than 2 % of the adult population has been vaccinated so far. That's despite the country being one of the world's largest vaccine producers. But the order came late for Indian pharmaceutical companies to first meet domestic demand rather than exporting jabs. From May 1, vaccines will be available to all Indians over the age of 18.

Experts say it's not just the sluggish vaccination rate that is to blame for the rapid spread of the coronavirus in India. Religious, political and sporting events across the nation have also played a big role. The Kumbh Mela, India's largest Hindu pilgrimage festival, was attended by several million people. During the ritual bath in the Ganges, there were few signs of masks and social distancing.

Politics too has set a poor example so far. Regional elections were held in the state of West Bengal at the beginning of the month. There were mass rallies in the megacity of Kolkata during the campaign with leading politicians from the ruling BJP party. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took part — and were celebrated by thousands of unmasked supporters.