India’s health care system is on the verge of collapse – Coronavirus fact vs fiction

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On Wednesday, the country saw the highest daily increase in infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic – 295,041 new Covid-19 cases and 2,023 fatalities – as hospitals turn away patients and beg for more oxygen, while desperate families beg for beds. and medications on social media.

“The volume is massive,” said Jalil Parkar, a senior lung consultant at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, who had to convert its lobby into an additional Covid unit. “It’s like a tsunami.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Tuesday, acknowledging the country’s “very big fight” against Covid-19. However, he appealed to states to “use a lockdown as their last option,” even as the capital, New Delhi, entered its first full day of a week-long lockdown, Jessie Yung and Vedika Sud report.
On Monday, Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, warned that failure to halt the movement in the city could lead to “tragedy.” When India shut down last March, the mass exodus of migrant workers from the cities became one of the most lasting images of the country’s struggle against the virus – and is believed to have contributed to the spread of Covid-19 across the country country.

This month, thousands of people have been spotted heading to train stations and bus stops in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, but the central government has insisted there is no reverse migration.

The second wave, which has surpassed the first, was a situation created by complacency, experts say, noting the government’s easing measures and a false sense of security among the public. Weeks before cases started to rise again, the federal health minister stated that India was “in the endgame” of the pandemic.

Despite warnings of Covid risks, sports games resumed, elaborate weddings were held, and movie theaters reopened. This month, one of the greatest pilgrimages on earth, the Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela, took place.

Modi, who has a significant Hindu base, has refrained from commenting on the Kumbh Mela and its Covid risks for weeks. Finally, he appealed to pilgrims not to gather in Haridwar earlier this week. But to some, Modi’s message sounded hollow as he continued to hold massive political rallies ahead of parliamentary and municipal elections in four states and one union territory.

Hindu devotees take sacred dives in the Ganges River in Haridwar during this year's Kumbh Mela

YOU ASKED. WE ANSWER.

Q. What should we do differently now that variant B.1.1.7 has become dominant in the United States?

A: The B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the UK, is more transmissible than previous strains, which means we need to be extra careful, says CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. This includes:
  • Be even more wary than before. “For example, if you are going to eat outside in a restaurant, check that they are adhering to CDC guidelines and that there is at least six feet of distance between the tables. Those who have not yet been fully vaccinated should wait until they are vaccinated. before they are vaccinated. have dinner nearby with someone else at their table, “she said.
  • Wear a mask in public, exercise physical distance, and avoid indoor gatherings with people outside your household.
  • “It’s even more important than ever to get vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn,” Wen added.
Send your questions here. Are you a health professional fighting Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you are facing: + 1347-322-0415.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

The EU regulator says the benefits outweigh the risks with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, after finding a possible link to blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Tuesday it had found a possible link between the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine and rare blood clots, but stressed that the overall benefits outweigh the risks. For use in the European Union, the agency said the vaccine should contain a warning about “unusual blood clots with low platelets.”
The underlying mechanism that may be involved in the blood clots associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the US and the AstraZeneca’s vaccine in Europe is extremely rare and appears to involve a little understood immune response.

Experts say taking the vaccines far outweighs the risks. Blood clots are relatively common overall – 900,000 Americans are affected each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And being infected with the corona virus greatly increases this risk.

Covid-19 cases continue to increase in the US despite vaccinations. This is why.

The vaccinations against Covid-19 in the United States are progressing at an impressive pace, and now all Americans 16 and older can have a chance. But health officials warn the country is in a “complicated phase” of the pandemic.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the US reported an average of more than 67,100 new Covid-19 infections per day in the past seven days. That’s slightly lower than last week’s figure, but it’s still 25% higher than almost a month ago.

There are several reasons for this rise, experts say, namely dangerous coronavirus variants – such as the more contagious B.1.1.7 strain that has contributed to a new wave in Michigan. Pandemic fatigue and more moving Americans don’t help either.

China’s vaccination nationalism is softening as the country indicates it can approve shooting abroad

While China wants to promote its domestically produced Covid-19 vaccines, it also has to face reality.

Beijing last month enacted a policy that makes it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa for China if they had received a Chinese vaccine. Experts warn it sets a dangerous precedent that could leave the world separated in vaccine silos.

There is also a practical problem: it is impossible to get a Chinese vaccine in many countries, including the US, because it is not approved for use by regulators, Nectar Gan and James Griffiths report.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador got his first AstraZeneca recording on a live stream yesterday when he urged the country to trust vaccines.
  • Economic recovery from the Covid-19 crisis is unsustainable, the International Energy Agency says, as it estimates that carbon emissions from energy consumption are on track to increase by 1.5 billion tons by 2021.
  • A national curfew in the Netherlands, intended to reduce social contact, will expire on April 28, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. The curfew has been in effect since January 23 and runs from 10 PM to 4:30 AM
  • As US health officials rush to get more Covid-19 shots in arms to get the virus under control, experts warn the country will face a new challenge in the coming weeks: vaccine supply is likely to exceed demand.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in his annual speech to the nation urged that all citizens get vaccinated against Covid-19. “It is the only way to stop the deadly pandemic,” Putin said.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“About 30-40% of people with long Covid report improvement in their symptoms after vaccinations, so that gives us some hope of trying to understand what we can do to help them, as well as what might be causing the disease,” – Akiko Iwasaki, immunologist at Yale University.

In today’s episode, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, spoke to Iwasaki on Covid’s treatment of long-haul vehicles and what we can do to help women and minorities succeed after an incredibly difficult year. Listen now.

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