The new Corona virus (Covid-19) in India continued to record frightening records that called for a global donation to help it, while European countries began to ease the restrictions of closure, amid warnings of the repetition of the "terrifying" Indian scenario.

In a new record toll, the Indian Ministry of Health announced today that more than 379,000 injuries and more than 3,600 deaths have been recorded within one day, in a country with a population of 1.3 billion people.

The authorities counted more than 6 million injuries in the month of April alone, bringing the total number of injuries in India to more than 18 million.

The second wave of the virus outbreak is putting great pressure on hospitals, which are suffering from a shortage of beds, medicines and oxygen.

A local official in Calcutta said, "The result of every one out of two who conducted a rapid infection test in the city and its suburbs was positive," adding that "beds are running out in hospitals, and bodies are piling up in crematoria."

The US State Department urged American citizens in India to leave due to the new wave there, and added that access to all types of medical care has become very limited due to the sudden increase in the number of injured.

Washington had announced that it would send more than $ 100 million in medical aid to India, and the aid included 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 15 million masks and one million rapid diagnostic tests.

Russian medical aid also arrived in the capital, New Delhi, followed by another shipment of supplies coming from Britain, including oxygen equipment and respirators.

India counted more than 3,600 deaths in one day (Anatolia)

Careful relaxation of restrictions

In Europe, where the number of infections exceeded fifty million, according to a census conducted by the French Press Agency, France announced a timetable for lifting restrictions imposed to combat transmission of infection, starting from mid-May, despite the health situation that remains fragile.

The Netherlands reopened its café terraces on Wednesday and lifted the curfew, a measure imposed in January sparking the country's worst riots in decades.

The United States is emerging as a model in the battle against the epidemic, and its President Joe Biden said Thursday that the country's vaccination plan was "one of the greatest logistical successes" in its history.

However, the World Health Organization warned Europe today to ease restrictions, saying that "the situation in India could happen anywhere else."

The organization suggested that the Indian mutated strain is not only a cause of the existing health crisis in the country, but also because of behaviors such as non-compliance with health restrictions.

Likewise, the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the African Union warned today that the number of infections may increase on the continent if urgent measures are not taken to avoid a situation similar to India.

"We almost do not believe what is happening in India," said John Nkengasung, "the situation there is very worrying for us as a continent," adding, "This confirms to us that we as a continent have to be prepared."

Vaccines are in the billions

On the vaccination front, Moderna Laboratories announced its endeavor to produce 3 billion doses in 2022 and its hope that it will be able to provide between 800 million and a billion doses during the current year.

"We see that the virus is spreading rapidly and mutating, and we are witnessing the emergence of new variants. We have to take the initiative to be ready if necessary for a third dose," Dan Stanner, director of the "Moderna-Europe" branch, told a Swiss channel.

Manufacturers are working on new versions of their vaccines, specifically designed to fight mutated strains, "because these mutated strains may not be effective against them and are likely to continue to emerge," according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Yesterday, the head of the German laboratory "Biontech" linked to the American company "Pfizer" said that he was "confident" of the effectiveness of his vaccine against the Indian mutant that was discovered in "at least 17 countries," according to the World Health Organization.

The presence of the Indian mutant raises concern in Europe, while German health authorities said today that they have isolated several infections carrying this strain.

In Italy, about 10% of the passengers and crew of a plane that arrived in Rome yesterday evening, coming from India, was confirmed, but without being able to determine whether the infection was mutant Indian.