Everything You Need To Know About The Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis In India, And Ways To Help
Photo by: CNBC
As the death toll rises in India nearly every day due to this vicious pandemic, let’s take a look at the toll it is taking on this country, and ways we can assist them in their time of need
300,000 men, women, and children. As per The New York Times, this is the amount of people catching the COVID-19 virus in India every day. Some even state that this number is underestimated, and the true amount of cases is much higher than the public is aware of.
Citizens of India are now afraid to step out of their homes, in fear that they will catch this deadly disease. “India’s official Covid-19 death toll [is] nearly 200,000, with more than 2,000 people dying every day,” reported The New York Times.
But, how could it have possibly gotten this bad? Especially when other countries, such as the United States and China, are slowly starting to see some improvement with their pandemic cases? Experts say it is a mix of a lack of government control, the vast majority of those catching the virus being poor, and the possibility of new variants playing a part in the pandemic’s uprise.
While it is too early to make a conclusive analysis of this info, it is important to note that an official new variant of the Covid-19 disease, B.1.617, is present in India. However, it is unknown if it has made a significant increase in the number of cases reported.
As the Washington Post reports, “Experts are starting to think that immunity in India may not have been widespread as previously believed. Some scientists argue that earlier waves of infections primarily affected the poor, but the current surge is reaching wealthier people who had just started socializing again…”
India currently has a scarcity of oxygen tanks, hospital beds, and are now being forced to dispose of bodies in mass proportion at local crematoriums. Loved ones are unable to say goodbye to those who have perished, and in some cases are not even allowed to see the bodies. According to The New York Times, “bodies were being handled under strict protocols.”
Amongst all this evidence, India is now seen as the epicenter of this pandemic, with more cases than any other country in the world, as per Foreign Policy.
Some citizens in neighboring countries have reached out a helping hand. Google recently donated 18 dollars million to India’s Covid Relief, and Sachin Tendulkar, an infamous Indian cricket player, donating 10 million rupees ($135,043.89 US dollars).
However, others believe that those who are partly to blame for India’s situation becoming so dire are their own citizens themselves, specifically India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to The Washington Post, Modi has essentially lifted the restrictions of the pandemic for himself and his party, and is now allowing massive political rallies and Hindu religious festivals to take place with no precautions taken.
Whoever may be to blame for the pandemic becoming increasingly more deadly in India, now is not the time to look back at the past missteps with the virus. Instead, we must continue to move forward and find new ways to assist this country, so they may come out of this alive.
If you are interested in helping India, please look at the following sources to make a helpful donation:
Unicef (https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/india-faces-brutal-covid-19-crisis-unicef-there-help/38520 )
Indian Red Cross Society
(https://indianredcross.org/ircs/COVID-19 )
Care India