India announced on Thursday a record of nearly 4,000 deaths from Covid-19 and 412,000 new infections in 24 hours, while authorities warn that the country must prepare to face "new waves".

Figures from the Ministry of Health show 3,980 deaths and 412,262 daily cases, bringing to 230,168 deaths and 21.1 million infections the figures recorded in total in India since the start of the pandemic.

Some experts consider them to be largely undervalued.

The worst to come?

This new record follows several days of decline in the number of cases which had encouraged hopes that the outbreak recorded since the end of March would ease.

After a peak of 402,000 daily contaminations last Friday, it fell slightly to 357,000 before rising again on Tuesday.

According to specialists, the worst is still to come for this country of 1.3 billion inhabitants, with an epidemic peak which may not be reached for several weeks.

An "inevitable third episode"

K. Vijay Raghavan, principal scientific adviser to the Indian government, warned Wednesday evening that a "3rd episode was inevitable given the high levels" of current contaminations.

“But we don't know exactly when this third episode will occur.

We have to prepare for new waves, ”he said at a press conference.

Still no national containment

However, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi refuses to order generalized containment.

Several regions, including the capital New Delhi as well as the states of Bihar and Maharashtra, have confined themselves.

Its management of the health crisis has earned the government more and more criticism, including before the courts, given the dramatic situation facing the dilapidated and underfunded health sector with patients in respiratory distress. dying at the gates of saturated hospitals, short of oxygen and essential medical supplies.

On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, eleven people lost their lives in a hospital near the city of Chennai (former Madras), in the south of the country, due to a drop in pressure in the oxygen pipes. , the Times of India daily reported Thursday.

"Admissions are suspended indefinitely," for lack of oxygen supply, Devlina Chakravarty, director general of Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, said on Twitter.

Politicians in "ivory towers"

The Delhi government has said it needs 700 tonnes of oxygen per day for its hospitals, but the Supreme Court heard on Wednesday that just 585 tonnes would be deployed.

Faced with the threat of contempt of court proceedings, central government lawyers argued that Delhi only needed 415 tonnes.

The Court gave the government until Thursday morning to present a plan to send additional supplies.

The Delhi High Court accused politicians and government officials of "living in ivory towers".

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