The country saw the highest daily increase in infections and deaths since the onset of the pandemic on Wednesday – 295,041 new cases of Covid-19 and 2,023 deaths – as hospitals turn away patients and beg for more oxygen, while desperate families plead for beds. and medicine on social media.
“The volume is huge,” said Jalil Parkar, a senior lung consultant at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, who had to transform his vestibule into an additional Covid ward. “It’s just like a tsunami.”
This month, thousands of people were seen on their way to stations and bus stops in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, but the central government insisted that no reverse migration take place.
The second wave, which surpassed the first, was a situation created by complacency, experts say, pointing to the government’s relaxing measures and a false sense of security from the public. Weeks before affairs resumed, the federal health minister declared India “in the final game” of the pandemic.
Despite warnings about Covid risks, sports matches were resumed, extensive weddings were held and movie theaters reopened. This month, one of the greatest pilgrimages on earth, the Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela, continued.
Modi, with a significant Hindu base, refrained from commenting on the Kumbh Mela and Covid risks for weeks. He finally appealed to pilgrims not to gather in Haridwar earlier this week. But for some, Modi’s message is hollow, as he continues to hold major political rallies ahead of parliamentary and local council elections in four states and one union area.
YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.
Q. What should we do differently now that the B.1.1.7 variant has become dominant in the United States?
- To be even more vigilant than before. “For example, if you are going to eat outdoors in a restaurant, make sure you comply with the CDC guidelines and that there is at least 6 feet of distance between tables. Those who have not yet been completely vaccinated should wait until they vaccinated before eating at the table with someone else, ”she said.
- Wear a mask in public, exercise physical distance and avoid indoor meetings with people who are not in your household.
- “It’s even more important than ever to be vaccinated once it’s your turn,” Wen added.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY
The EU regulator says benefits outweigh the risks in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after finding possible links to blood clots.
According to experts, weighs heavier than the risks. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), blood clots are generally relatively common – affecting 900,000 Americans a year. And if you are infected with coronavirus, it increases the risk.
Covid-19 cases continue in the US despite vaccinations. Here’s why.
In the past seven days, the U.S. has reported an average of more than 67,100 new Covid-19 infections daily, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. It is slightly lower than the previous week, but it is still 25% above what it was almost a month ago.
There are several reasons for this increase, experts say, namely dangerous coronavirus variants – such as the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that helped fuel a further boom in Michigan. Pandemic fatigue and more Americans moving around are not helping either.
China’s vaccination nationalism is softened as the country indicates it can approve foreign manufacturing
As much as China wants to promote its domestically produced Covid-19 vaccines, it must also face reality.
Beijing last month issued a policy that makes it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa to China if they have received a Chinese vaccine. Experts warn that this sets a dangerous precedent that could divide the world into vaccine silos.
ON OUR RADAR
- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador received his first AstraZeneca shot on a live stream yesterday for urging the country to trust vaccines.
- Economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis is not sustainable, says the International Energy Agency, as it estimates that carbon emissions from energy consumption will increase by 1.5 billion tonnes by 2021.
- A national night bell in the Netherlands, intended to reduce social contact, ends on April 28, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. The curfew rule has been in force since 23 January and lasts from 22:00 to 04:30
- While U.S. health officials are rushing to get more Covid-19 shots in their arms to control the virus, experts warn that the country will face another challenge in the next few weeks: the supply of vaccines is likely to exceed demand.
- Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has urged all citizens to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in his annual speech to the country on Wednesday. “This is the only way to stop the deadly pandemic,” Putin said.
TODAY’S PODCAST
“About 30-40% of people with a long covid report improvement in their symptoms after vaccinations, so it gives us hope to try to understand what we can do to help them, but also what can possibly cause the disease. , ” – Akiko Iwasaki, immunologist at Yale University.