Vignesh Ramachandran for CPR News
A volunteer for Sewa International checks the temperature of a man getting a COVID-19 vaccine during a May 15, 2021, vaccination event at the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies in Centennial.
For the 30,000 or so Indian Americans living in Colorado, the coronavirus pandemic presents an emotional whiplash right now.
About 43 percent of people in this state are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and hospitalizations continue to fall. Gov. Jared Polis has lifted the statewide mask mandate for vaccinated Coloradans. People are finding freedom they haven’t known for more than a year.
But the pandemic remains a dire emergency in India the second-most populated country in the world. Densely packed cities, strained health infrastructure and a contagious variant have devastated the public. About 27 million people have been infected in India and more than 303,000 are dead from the virus, and experts say the numbers are likely undercounted.