COVID-19 In India Getting More Violent, Government Deploys Armed Forces

Illustration. (Source: UNICEF / UNI41215 / Rae)

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic is getting more violent in India. For the fifth time in five consecutive days, India has recorded a daily record of COVID-19 infections.

India recorded a record daily number of COVID-19 cases of 352,991 cases and 2,812 deaths on Monday, April 26 yesterday. Conditions that raise the concern of the World Health Organization (WHO), thus sending staff assistance and patient treatment needs, including oxygen concentrator devices to field hospitals.

"The increase in cases we have seen is astonishing. India is not unique, we can find this case in other countries if alertness decreases", said WHO Technical Chief Maria van Kerkhove.

To help deal with the conditions that have occurred, India ordered its armed forces to help contain the surging new coronavirus infections.

In a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat said oxygen would be sent to the hospital from the armed forces reserve.

Meanwhile, retired military medical personnel will join the COVID-19 health facility. If possible, military medical infrastructure will be made available to civilians.

"Air, rail, road and sea, heaven & earth are being mobilized to overcome the challenges posed by this wave of COVID-19", Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Twitter.

PM Modi said he had spoken with US President Joe Biden about the crisis, discussing the supply chain for the raw materials and medicines for the COVID-19 vaccine. On Sunday, President Biden said his country would send medical supplies to India to help fight the pandemic.

As of Monday, the Indian Ministry of Health recorded that the total cases of COVID-19 infection in India had reached 17.31 million cases with 195,123 deaths.