Coronavirus: India reports biggest spike of 4.12 lakh new cases
India reported a record number of 4.12 lakh fresh coronavirus infections on Thursday with a test positivity rate of 21.4%. The nationwide tally has now risen to 2.1 crore. The country also added 3,980 more fatalities, the deadliest day yet, taking the death toll past 2.3 lakh. Recently, mathematical modeling had predicted that India's ongoing second wave would peak by Wednesday (May 5).
India's tally reaches 2.1 crore
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Thursday morning, India reported a total of 2,10,77,410 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has reached 2,30,168. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 1,72,80,844 patients have recovered, while 35,66,398 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 4,12,262 new infections and 3,980 fresh fatalities. 16,25,13,339 vaccine doses have been administered so far.
Karnataka reports 50K new cases; Kerala adds 42K infections
Karnataka and Kerala—the third and the second worst-hit states in India—reported record single-day spikes of 50,112 and 41,953 new cases respectively, along with Tamil Nadu (23,310), West Bengal (18,102), Odisha (9,889), Assam (4,826), Himachal Pradesh (3,842), Goa (3,496), and Puducherry (1,819). The COVID-19 situation also remained worrisome in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
India accounts for 50% of all global cases last week
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization said that India accounted for 46% of global cases and 25% of global deaths reported in the past week. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore urged global leaders to step up and help India, warning of grave international implications.
Third wave of COVID-19 inevitable: Government's scientific advisor
Meanwhile, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Centre Dr. K Vijay Raghavan said on Wednesday that the third wave of COVID-19 was inevitable. "But it is not clear on what time scale this phase 3 will occur...We should prepare for new waves," he said. AIIMS-Delhi Director Dr. Randeep Guleria had also warned about a possible third wave, pushing for an aggressive nationwide lockdown.
Oxygen demand increased 7X over past month
The demand for hospital oxygen has increased seven times since the past month, which has led to a critical shortage of oxygen. The government has said that the issue lies with supply lines and not production. On Wednesday night, 11 COVID-19 patients died as the pressure in the oxygen line dropped suddenly in a government medical college hospital in Chengalpet town of Tamil Nadu.
US backs vaccine patent waiver proposed by India
India—the world's largest vaccine producer—is facing a shortage of vaccines. Vaccinations have dropped significantly over the past month even as the number of people eligible to be vaccinated has nearly doubled from May 1. India's vaccine production is expected to increase by July. Separately, the United States backing a waiver of intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines is also expected to boost India's production.
