Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suit collects a swab sample
from another health worker for Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for the
Covid-19 coronavirus at a testing centre in Siliguri on August 29,
2020. (Photo by DIPTENDU DUTTA / AFP)
India on Thursday passed eight million coronavirus
cases, with the world’s second-worst-hit country bracing for a
possible second wave ahead of winter and a series of religious
festivals.
There have now been 8,040,203 cases and 120,527 deaths across
the country of 1.3 billion people, according to the latest
government figures.
The United States has seen 9.1 million cases and more than
230,000 deaths.
India has one of the world’s lowest death rates and ministers
have highlighted the slowing number of new infections in recent
weeks.
But authorities are preparing for a new surge after Diwali, the
country’s most important religious festival on November 14.
“All states need to be careful during the coming festive season.
This caution must be exercised for the next three months at least,”
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a recent statement.
A stringent lockdown imposed in March has gradually been eased
as the government seeks to reboot the economy after the loss of
millions of jobs nationwide. But experts say this has helped spread
Covid-19.
New Delhi recorded 5,000 new cases on Wednesday, its highest
daily figure since the outbreak of the pandemic. Officials have
warned that the capital could see more than 10,000 cases a day in
the next wave.
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Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, told the Times of India newspaper that if cases continued
surging the country’s fragile healthcare system “will get really
stressed.”
Experts have said crowds gathering for Diwali and other
festivals, colder temperatures, and the annual winter pollution
crisis could worsen the impact of coronavirus cases in Delhi.
Authorities are also worried about the southern state of Kerala
and West Bengal in the east which have seen worrying spikes in
cases.
Financial capital Mumbai, India’s worst-hit city with more
than 250,000 cases and over 10,000 deaths, is currently adding
about 2,000 cases a day.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned the population in recent
speeches that they are being “careless” in giving up social
distancing and other precautions.
While businesses and theatres have slowly started to reopen,
schools and colleges remain shut in most cities and international
flights are severely limited.
India only has air links with a small number of countries —
including the United States, France, Germany, and Britain — where
they have made special arrangements.
India’s domestic air market was the world’s fastest-growing
before the pandemic but is currently operating at less than 60
percent of the capacity of 12 months ago.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/10/29/india-passes-eight-million-coronavirus-cases/