Worldwide Covid-19 deaths pass 3 million as cases surge
▶ New Delhi and other Indian cities lock down while gatherings for religious festivals and state elections go on
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic passed the three million mark yesterday amid a surge in infections led by India and repeated setbacks to the worldwide vaccination campaign.
The grim milestone underlines the rapid rise in fatalities this year – it took nearly 12 months for the death toll to reach two million, in January – as new variants of the coronavirus raise concerns about the long-term efficacy of the limited number of vaccines developed so far.
India yesterday reported its eighth record daily increase in infections over the past nine days, with 234,692 new cases taking its total to more than 14.5 million. The number of deaths rose by 1,341 to 175,649.
With hospitals reporting shortages of beds and medicine, New Delhi and other major cities imposed lockdowns yesterday.
But the major Kumbh Mela religious gathering in Uttarakhand state and local elections in West Bengal have been allowed to continue.
Although India’s per-capita rates remain low by international comparison, the speed at which cases are rising led the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to call the surge “truly frightening”.
Worldwide, new cases are averaging 700,000 a day, and deaths 12,000.
In the UAE, where daily infections have fallen as the number of vaccine doses administered nears the 10 million mark, the Dubai Health Authority widened eligibility for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
Covid-19 patients who displayed mild symptoms and made a full recovery can receive the vaccine after completing their isolation period and need not wait for three months. Breastfeeding women and those planning to conceive can also receive the vaccine.
The UAE reported 1,958 new cases of the coronavirus yesterday, alongside 1,545 recoveries and three deaths, after 214,765 tests were conducted.
New Delhi led major Indian cities into a weekend lockdown yesterday as the country confronts another coronavirus wave, with more than 230,000 daily new cases.
The Indian surge happened as worries grew across the world about the prevalence of coronavirus variants that could reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines.
The world death toll from the pandemic has exceeded three million and the pace of fatalities is increasing, according to data from Johns Hopkins University yesterday.
Deaths are increasingly borne by the world’s poorest places.
Hopes that South Asia might have beaten the pandemic dimmed as more than two million new cases were reported in India this month alone, while Bangladesh and Pakistan were also imposing lockdowns.
India reported a record 234,692 cases yesterday to exceed 14.5 million overall and new 1,341 deaths, taking its total to 175,649 fatalities.
The rates per head of population remain low by international comparison, but the speed at which cases are rising led the Red Cross to call the South Asian surge “truly frightening”.
India now has three times the daily cases of the US, the world’s worst-hit country.
After a national lockdown a year ago led to an economic slump, the Indian government wants to avoid a second stoppage. But Delhi joined Mumbai in ordering all but essential services to close.
Important landmarks such as Delhi’s Red Fort, where tens of thousands of people would normally gather, were deserted.
“Not one person has turned up,” security guard Anil Dayan said. Police stopped many of the cars that strayed into the streets.
The city of more than 20 million people now has the most daily cases in India, and restaurants, malls and gyms were all closed. Weddings are permitted with guest numbers limited to 50 people. Funerals are limited to 20 people.
“Don’t panic. All essential services will be available through the weekend,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
Maharashtra state, which includes Mumbai and Gujarat, and the state of Karnataka have also imposed restrictions on movement.
Uttar Pradesh, home to more than 200 million people, ordered a one-day lockdown for today.
Similarly, the northern state of Uttarakhand has restricted gatherings to 200 people – but exempted the Hindu Kumbh festival.
The gathering in Haridwar has attracted up to 25 million people since January, including about 4.6 million last week alone, with most people ignoring coronavirus guidelines.
More than 1,600 people tested positive in Haridwar over three days last week, and analysts feared that many devotees will take the virus to their home towns and villages.
The latest round of voting also went ahead in the West Bengal state election and long queues formed outside polling stations. Rival parties held huge rallies in recent weeks, again fuelling fears of superspreader events.
In Kolkata, the state capital, railway employee Samaresh Tapna became sick after attending a gathering and was taken to hospital.
“I felt angry with myself … I cursed my fate,” the 42-yearold told AFP.
Hospitals are running short of oxygen and widely prescribed medicines such as remdesivir and FabiFlu, forcing people to pay exorbitant black-market rates.
Social media is full of stories of calls to help a loved one needing hospital treatment for the coronavirus or other complaints.
“I lost a cousin on Saturday. He was not admitted after a stroke. Tried four hospitals,” read one message on a Delhi neighbourhood WhatsApp group last week.
India’s efforts to vaccinate its 1.3 billion people also hit obstacles, with 117 million injections given so far and vaccine stocks running low, according to some local authorities.
“This is a wake-up call to the world. Vaccines must be available to everyone, everywhere, rich and poor to overcome this terrible pandemic,” said Udaya Regmi from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
“We must redouble our efforts to contain this disease as too many lives are at stake,” Mr Regmi said.
Coronavirus deaths are increasing among the poor, and hopes that South Asia might beat the virus have dimmed