-India reports record single-day rise of 349,691 fresh cases, 2,767 deaths
-This is the fourth straight day of record peaks
-India hit a rate of one virus death in every four minutes in Delhi
-Experts say more infectious variants of COVID, including B.1.6.1.7, have fueled the ferocious surge
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
Islamabad: As the Covid19 pandemic, unleashed with ferocity on India, with fresh cases rising to 0.35 million a day, Pakistan offered its arch-rival, medical equipment to help cope up with the crisis, in a big humanitarian gesture. Pakistan which too was witnessing a sharp spike in the number of cases, and heavy pressure on its medical supplies and hospitals, some running to 90 per cent of their capacity, offered India ventilators, digital x-ray machines and personal protective equipment.
“As a gesture of solidarity with the people of India in the wake of the current wave of COVID-19, Pakistan has offered to provide relief support to India including ventilators, Bi-PAP, digital X-ray machines, PPEs and related items,” Foreign Office spokesperson said in a tweet. The Foreign Office spokesperson said the concerned authorities of Pakistan and India could work out modalities for quick delivery of the relief items. “They can also explore possible ways of further cooperation to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.” For the past four days in a row, India is recording cases of over 300,000 a day. On Sunday, it made yet another record with 3,49,691 reported cases and an almost total collapse of its health care system.
CNN quoted health experts as saying that the real numbers can be five times higher than the official figures. The number of total infections spiked to 16,960,172 and 192,311 official deaths. However, the situation on the ground shows that the actual number of deaths far exceeds the official figures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the situation in India was a “devastating reminder” of what the coronavirus could do. Pakistan’s offer followed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s message of solidarity earlier in the day with the people of India as they battle a dangerous wave of COVID-19.
“Our prayers for a speedy recovery go to all those suffering from the pandemic in our neighbourhood & the world. We must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together.”
The decision of sending medical supplies was widely hailed across the country as the people have already been asking Pakistan to reach out to the people in India after witnessing the despair of people struggling to get a bed or oxygen in the Indian hospitals.
The Edhi foundation offered assistance to the Indian government and offered 50 fully equipped ambulances along with staff as India’s health services capacity choked due to rising COVID-19 cases.
The chaos in the country seems to have been compounded by the Indian government’s efforts to stem criticism of its handling of the Coronavirus crisis. The government requested Twitter to take down the tweets criticising poor response and dismal handling.
The Congress Party lashed out at the BJP government and said “pulling down tweets will not change/hide the horrible situation our people experience today.”
“Each citizen is crying out for help & each of them the Govt conveniently ignores. Modi ji, is this your plan to reverse the Covid19 curve?,” Congress questioned.
Alex Crawford in a report for Sky News from New Delhi spoke of the harrowing scenes from the Capital New Delhi.
“Fires just do not stop burning in the Indian capital, Delhi, right now. The heat is intense. The grief is palpable.”
She said the coronavirus dead were piled up in vehicles and ambulances and rickshaws – as India continues to set daily global records for new infections.
According to the BBC the hospitals in Delhi have warned they are at breaking point.
At the Holy Family Hospital, intensive care units are full and there is no room for any more beds.
“Almost every hospital is on the edge. If oxygen runs out, there is no leeway for many patients,” Dr Sumit Ray told the BBC.
“Within minutes, they will die. You can see these patients: they’re on ventilators, they require high-flow oxygen. If the oxygen stops, most of them will die.”
