India registers 261,500 new cases of coronavirus in one day

The head of the Government of New Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, warned today of the lack of beds in the intensive care units of the capital, which in the last 24 hours has registered about 25,000 new infections

The India reported Sunday a new daily record of cases of coronavirus , 261,500, and deaths, 1,501, while several of the states most affected have warned that the increasing pressure on the healthcare system that could lead to a collapse.

The Asian country is mired in a second wave of covid-19 and has already accounted for 14.7 million infections since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health.

The second country most affected by the virus in absolute terms, behind the United States (with 32 million), this week surpassed the barrier of 200,000 infections for the first time and continues to register a vertiginous increase in cases without the curve showing signs of diminish.

The India also recorded a new record of 1,501 deaths in 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths to 177,150.

The state most affected by the pandemic continues to be western Maharashtra, which today added 67,123 new cases, although the virus spreads unevenly in the country and ten of the 36 regions accumulate 78.5% of daily infections.

LACK OF BEDS AND OXYGEN

While the numbers do not stop growing day by day, several of these regions have shown their concern about the pressure on the health sector.

The head of the Government of New Delhi , Arvind Kejriwal, warned today of the lack of beds in the intensive care units of the capital, which in the last 24 hours has registered about 25,000 new infections.

“The positivity rate has increased from 24% to 30% in the last 24 hours, there are less than 100 intensive care beds left and there is a shortage of oxygen,” Kejriwal said today in a televised message.

The head of Government affirmed that the capital is in a situation of “extreme need” of which the Minister of Health, Harsh Vardhan, was part yesterday, while today he had a conversation with the Minister of the Interior, Amit Shah.

The website of the Delhi Government that reports on the availability of these beds, reserved for the most serious cases of coronavirus that need respiratory assistance, shows that only 95 of the 4,123 that the city has are free.

The capital expects to add 6,000 new beds equipped with high-flow oxygen in the coming days, said Kejriwal, who has imposed a lockdown for the entire weekend and new restrictions until the end of the month to control the spread of the virus.

Maharashtra, which has also recently introduced measures such as curfews and closures of nonessential restaurants and shops, also recently warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi of oxygen shortages in the region.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Twitter today that the Government is working to ensure the availability of oxygen and the continuous supply of vaccines, after several states alerted about the critical lack of vaccines.

India has managed more than 120 million doses since the vaccination campaign began 92 days ago, with 2.6 million in the last day.