Covid-19 coronavirus: India's cities are under siege - now its rural areas are in the firing line 26 Apr, 2021 11:35 PM 5 minutes to read India is fighting a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that is killing thousands each day. Video / AP India is fighting a devastating second wave of Covid-19 that is killing thousands each day. Video / AP Daily Telegraph UK By: Joe Wallen and Mohammad Sartaj Alam India's devastating Covid-19 epidemic, which is killing thousands of people each day in major cities including Delhi and Mumbai, is now spreading uncontrollably in its most vulnerable rural hinterland, home to 800 million Indians. Decades of underfunding in India's healthcare system has left the nation's rural areas facing widespread shortages of oxygen, tests, medication, and, in many areas, a medical professional, creating a vacuum of critical care and leaving openings for quack doctors.