A doctor after examining patients inside a Covid-19 ward facility near a hospital in Delhi, India, on 10 May, 2021.
(EPA)
India lost 329 doctors to Covid-19 during the brutal second wave that has ravaged the country and brought the health system to its knees, according to the latest data released by an association of doctors.
The Indian Medical Association said the state of Bihar saw 80 deaths, followed by Delhi (73). Its data showed that 748 doctors had died during the first wave of the pandemic in India.
Doctors and other hospital staff have reported being overworked and exhausted amid a surge in infections. India’s overall caseload crossed 26 million on Friday and fatalities stand at 291,331.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation said Covid-19 vaccines currently available in Europe appear able to protect against all variants of Covid-19. However, the organisation’s regional director Hans Kluge also urged health authorities to remain vigilant and suggested that international travel should be avoided.
This comes as European Union legislators and member countries agreed on launching Covid-19 certificates, aimed at boosting travel.
Vaccination centres in Delhi to close amid shortage
At least 150 vaccination sites in India’s national capital Delhi will be closed on Friday due to a shortage of doses, the ruling party said.
Delhi’s stock of Covishield — the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced by Serum Institute of India — for the 18-44 age group will last less than a day, the party had said on Thursday.
The Delhi government has already said its stock of Covaxin — made by India’s Bharat Biotech — is over.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 07:04
Covid tests on bodies recovered from sunken barge
The authorities are conducting RT-PCR on the bodies recovered from a barge that went adrift and sank in the Arabian Sea on Monday after a powerful cyclone hit India’s west coast.
The Indian Navy said 49 bodies have been recovered and 188 personnel have been rescued so far.
Only one of the 26 bodies brought to a hospital in Mumbai, capital of Maharashtra state, had been handed over to family members by Thursday evening, according to The Indian Express.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 06:34
India asks states to notify black fungus as an epidemic
Mucormycosis, or black fungus, cases in Covid-19 patients continue to rise in several parts of India, emerging as a new challenge for health authorities.
India’s health ministry has asked states to declare the infection as a “notifiable disease” under the Epidemics Act. This means states have to report both suspected and confirmed cases.
Hospitals and pharmacies have reported a shortage of Amphotericin B, the drug used in the treatment of mucormycosis. The central government has assured the shortage will be resolved soon.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 06:08
50% people in India do not wear mask, says health ministry
India’s health ministry has said that 50 per cent of the population does not wear a mask, citing a study that surveyed 2,000 people across 25 cities.
Of the 50 per cent wearing a mask, 64 per cent cover their mouth but not nose, 20 per cent have it on their chin and 2 per cent people have the mask on their neck, the government said.
The ministry said that only 14 per cent of those people wear the mask properly.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 05:52
India reports 259,551 new cases, pushing tally to 26 million
With 259,551 new cases being reported in the 24 hours ending Friday morning, India’s overall caseload has crossed 26 million. Fatalities stand at 291,331 after 4,209 deaths were reported in last 24 hours.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 05:43
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic for Friday 21 May, 2021.
Akshita Jain21 May 2021 05:12
