![]() ![]() The falling numbers ignited conversations about whether many Indians, especially those living in densely populated urban centers, might have already been exposed to the virus, thus conferring some immune defenses to prevent reinfection. Daily case numbers then gradually declined to nearly 10,000 in early February. How did we get here?ĭuring the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, India reported over 90,000 daily new COVID-19 cases at its peak, with the highest single-day record at 97,894 on September 16. As of May 6, more than 800 scientists had signed on to that appeal. “It is essential now, more than ever before, that dynamic public health plans be implemented on the basis of scientific data to arrest the spread of infections and save the lives of our citizens,” they wrote. These scientists say more data are needed to understand how the coronavirus is spreading, manage the outbreak and predict what’s to come. In an unprecedented move, hundreds of scientists sent a plea on April 30 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking to ramp up data collection and allow access to already collected COVID-19 data. Like many others in India, Ray is somewhat baffled by the seemingly sudden COVID-19 surge. “People are coming into the ER requiring huge amounts of oxygen support, and we were on the edge of running out.” ![]() “We don’t have enough ward beds, we don’t have enough ICU beds, and we’re running out of ventilators,” said Sumit Ray, a critical care specialist at Holy Family Hospital in India’s capital city of New Delhi. In many parts of the country, family members are shedding tears of despair outside of hospitals as they beg for medical attention for their dying kin. In Pune, one of the worst-hit cities in India, the wailing sirens of ambulances have become a macabre feature of the city’s soundscape. Sign up for e-mail updates on the latest coronavirus news and researchĭire SOS pleas from doctors, patients and their loved ones in need of hospital beds, oxygen and medication have flooded social media platforms. Those numbers are predicted to soar even higher in the coming days. As its second wave of COVID-19 sweeps through, India recorded more than 400,000 daily new cases on May 6 - the largest single-day spike in the world - and its highest daily death toll of 4,187, a day later. Although Ellitam’s father secured a bed in Surabhi Hospital a day later, scenes like this - and far worse - are playing out hundreds of thousands of times every day across India. This is what it’s like to be in the hardest-hit state in the country now hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. While his father stayed isolated in a hotel room opposite the hospital, Ellitam lived out of his car parked nearby, and the frustrating search for another hospital bed began. His father, 53, also started growing tired and breathless. After nearly 100 calls, on April 12 Ellitam finally found a spot at Surabhi Hospital in Ahmednagar, nearly 60 kilometers from his hometown.īut there was no room for relief just yet. He frantically called friends, family and almost everyone on his contact list with connections to the region’s hospitals. But in Shevgaon, a small town in the state of Maharashtra, health care facilities were limited and already overwhelmed with people suffering from COVID-19. Watching his mother’s health deteriorate, Ellitam knew he couldn’t wait any longer. “I could see her stomach rising and falling,” Ellitam said. PUNE, India - Mohanish Ellitam watched helplessly as his 49-year-old mother’s oxygen levels dipped dangerously and she gasped for air.
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