A veteran journalist, Vinay Srivastava from Uttar Pradesh, lost his life on Saturday but his desperate cry for help remains hanging on dozens of Twitter threads. “My oxygen is 31 when some will help me” he tweeted moments before he died.
India has become the worst hit by the second wave with +260,778 fresh cases on Saturday— the highest ever recorded during the Covid pandemic — according to the government website.
Although +1,495 deaths were recorded in 24 hours on Saturday eve, Many reports suggest the numbers are much high, citing error in data. India lost +177,168 lives due to pandemic as its health infrastructure has already collapsed.
Only vaccinated 1.15% of its population according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center despite India exporting millions of doses for vaccine diplomacy. The disparities between the number of the first dose administrated and the number of the second dose also make the data inaccurate. Indian government claims 12,26,22,590 people are vaccinated.
Major cities in India are having more than 95% of their emergency beds occupied as patients are made to wait outside for hours to be treated. The centre is rushing 6,303 additional ventilators to six states of concern: 1121 ventilators to Maharashtra, 1700 to Uttar Pradesh, 1500 to Jharkhand, 1600 to Gujarat, 152 to Madhya Pradesh, and 230 to Chhattisgarh.
The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker, has urged President Joe Biden to lift an embargo by the United States on the exports of raw materials that is hurting its production of COVID-19 shots.
India has approved the import of vaccine after a major shortage stumbled India’s vaccination drive.
Despite all, India’s chief of state, Prime Minister Modi has been campaigning for the upcoming state election gloating about high attendance which defies the pandemic protocol. Many Indian have turned to social media to source drugs, oxygen and ventilators.
