India Sets Another COVID-19 Death Record, 3.780 People Die In A Day

Illustration of handling COVID-19 patients. (Wikimedia Commons / US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sara Eshleman)

JAKARTA - Deaths due to COVID-19 in India have again set a daily record, with the number reaching 3.780 deaths in the last 24 hours, a day after cases of COVID-19 infection reached 20 million infections.

Meanwhile, data from the Indian Ministry of Health showed that daily COVID-19 infections in India rose by 382.315 on Wednesday, May 5. Government modeling had shown a peak on Wednesday, a few days earlier than expected, as the virus had spread faster than expected.

India's surge in the highly contagious coronavirus has left hospitals running out of beds and oxygen and sent morgues and crematoriums to overflowing. Many people died in ambulances and car parks waiting for beds or oxygen.

"Two express oxygen trains reached the capital Delhi on Wednesday, carrying much-needed liquid oxygen, said Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Twitter. More than 25 trains have so far delivered oxygen to various parts of India".

The Indian government said it had an adequate supply of oxygen, but the constraints were distribution hindered by transportation problems.

India's surge in infections has coincided with a drastic drop in vaccinations due to supply and delivery problems. This has led to a number of states closing vaccination centers, such as Maharashtra and Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has also drawn criticism, including regarding its reluctance to implement lockdowns and slow to anticipate the second wave of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, India's opposition has called for a nationwide lockdown, but the government is reluctant to impose the closures for fear of the economic repercussions, even though some countries have imposed social restrictions.

"The only way to stop the spread of the corona now is a complete lockdown. The inaction of the Indian government is killing a lot of innocent people", Congressman Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter, referring to the Government of India.

India has around 3.45 million active cases of COVID-19, but medical experts say the true number of deaths and infections could be five to 10 times higher. The country added 10 million cases in just four months, after taking more than 10 months to reach the first 10 million.

Meanwhile, the state-run India Medical Research Council (ICMR) on Wednesday said daily testing in India had fallen sharply to 1.5 million tests.