Infections and deaths continue to climb at alarming rates as India’s second COVID-19 wave threatens to topple its healthcare system.
India, the world’s second-most populous country, with 1.4 billion people, has been setting daily records for new cases. It has become a land of misery, countless funeral pyres and urgent calls for its large diaspora to send help.
The country accounted for nearly half of new infections recorded worldwide last week. At least 234,083 Indians are confirmed to have died of COVID-19, though the actual number is believed to be much higher because of underreporting.
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India’s leaders thought they had contained the virus after seeing cases dip at the start of the year. Social restrictions were loosened, sparking a surge in infections in March that led to a near collapse of the country’s healthcare system amid a dearth of vaccines.