As COVID-19 rages in India, scientist warns further waves inevitable
By Tanvi Mehta
Reuters
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -A top scientific adviser to the Indian government warned on Wednesday the country would inevitably face further waves of the coronavirus pandemic, as almost 4,000 people died in the space of a day.
With hospitals scrabbling for beds and oxygen in response to a deadly second surge in infections, the World Health Organization said in a weekly report that India accounted for nearly half the coronavirus cases reported worldwide last week and a quarter of the deaths.
Many people have died in ambulances and car parks waiting for a bed or oxygen, while morgues and crematoriums struggle to deal with a seemingly unstoppable flow of bodies.
India official warns to brace for new COVID-19 waves
World
Wed, May 05, 2021
A COVID-19 coronavirus patient is being helped by his relatives outside a coronavirus ward at a hospital in New Delhi on May 4, 2021, as India´s total COVID caseload soared past 20 million. AFP
An Indian scientific adviser said Wednesday the country gripped by one of the most deadly coronavirus surges seen by any country will have to be ready for new waves and badly needs more oxygen from other countries.
Facing critical shortages of hospital beds and oxygen, the warnings came as India reported 3,780 new pandemic deaths, a new daily high, and 382,000 new cases. Experts say the peak may not be reached for weeks.
India needs to prepare itself for future COVID-19 waves
Tanvi Mehta
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New Delhi | A top scientific adviser to the Indian government warned the country would inevitably face further waves of the coronavirus pandemic, as almost 4000 people died in the space of a day.
With hospitals scrabbling for beds and oxygen in response to a deadly second surge in infections, the World Health Organisation said in a weekly report that India accounted for nearly half the coronavirus cases reported worldwide last week and a quarter of the deaths.
Relatives sit next to the body of a family member, who was thought to have died of COVID-19.Â
We need to redesign institutions to be proactive, agile, and socially just when confronted with compound risks that have become increasingly likely. Image credit: Dave Cutler (artist).
Because the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency is a protracted crisis that entails waves of infections over several months, the pandemic will inevitably continue to collide with other social and environmental shocks and disruptions, leading to increased risk of compound disasters (1). Globally, we have seen both extended and acute periods of stress on social and government systems driven by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other natural and social hazards. When coupled with economic shocks, political fragility, and conflicts, these multiple stressors become concurrent drivers of complex emergencies that severely challenge domestic and international emergency response. Such crises present a need to better understand compound risks and prioritize collaborative action we need to address neglec