India is in the worst condition possible due to the COVID outbreak and they need a short-term but extensive lockdown to break the chain of coronavirus transmission and permit the medical community to recover, according to the national president of the Indian Medical Association. The South Asian nation is going through a catastrophic second wave of Covid infections. Cases began rising in February and in the following months, huge crowds assembled for religious festivals and political rallies in various parts of the country, mostly without masks. There are also growing concerns about new strains of the virus that are possibly more transmittable. On Friday, India reported 332,730 new cases of infections over a 24-hour period, according to government data. For the second day in a row, India reported the world’s highest single-day increase in infections. “Almost all our hospital beds are full. But I still believe the infrastructure facility is good enough to cater to the needs of the people,” J. A. Jayalal expressed. The Indian Medical Association is one of the largest professional organizations in the country representing doctors. While some states have stepped up social limitations, including night curfews, others have moved into partial lockdowns. “But that’s not good enough,” said Jayalal. “We need to have an extensive lockdown, at least for two weeks, and that will allow the hospitals and the doctor community to recuperate and reemphasize and repower our hospital substructure to tackle the crisis.”

During the first wave of infection, India imposed a nationwide lockdown between March and May. While it aided to eventually bring down the number of cases, the lockdown had a severe impact on India’s growth trajectory, leaving millions without income and jobs and if cases continue to rise rapidly over the next two weeks, then the consequences may be “disastrous.” So far, many cases are concerted within ten states, including Maharashtra, the epicenter of the second wave.

Condition in 2021

So far in April, cases have risen ominously — India has reported more than 4 million cases as of Sunday and at least 24,452 people have died. Media reports suggest that the tangible death toll could possibly be higher. The high number of infections has exacerbated the pressure on India’s medical infrastructure. Overwhelmed hospitals are turning away critically ill patients due to a shortage of beds. A severe oxygen supply shortage, partially due to uneven distribution across states, has led to the deaths of many Covid-19 patients. The government has since diverted industrial oxygen supplies for medical use.

India needs more medical manpower as frontline doctors are almost stretched out and psychologically drained. He explained that medical professionals have asked the government to accelerate processes that would allow junior doctors and medical students to get involved in treating Covid patients.

Vaccination

India’s vaccination drive which is one of the largest in the world is also facing supply challenges. The country has administered more than 135 million doses and recently, the government approved grants for local vaccine makers to ramp up production capacity. Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said that he was very concerned after India recorded the world’s highest daily tally of Covid infections for the second day in a row. The whole world is extremely worried for India and we all pray to get rid of this disastrous situation as soon as possible.