China News Service, April 25, reported that the second wave of the epidemic in India is fierce.

On the 24th local time, the number of newly diagnosed cases in India reached a new high, exceeding 300,000 for the third consecutive day.

Many experts predict that this wave of epidemics will take at least three weeks to reach its peak.

　　The spread of the epidemic in India has led to an oxygen supply crisis in many hospitals.

At the same time, in response to the domestic epidemic, India has suspended exports of new crown vaccines, which may have an impact on global vaccine supply.

Data map: Noida, India, Yathartha Hospital in Uttar Pradesh, India uses robots to help patients communicate with the outside world.

Image source: Sipaphoto copyright works please do not reprint

New coronavirus "double mutation"

The authorities and people relax their vigilance

　　At the beginning of 2021, India's new crown epidemic improved, and the number of new cases in a single day fell below 10,000.

Compared with the peak period of over 90,000 per day in mid-September 2020, the infection rate has steadily declined.

As of mid-February 2021, India had an average of 11,000 new cases in a single day, and the average number of deaths in the seven days was less than 100.

　　As the authorities and people relax their vigilance, various religious activities and political elections have been held. High-level officials and religious leaders have attended large-scale gatherings of people. Many people have not taken basic protective measures including wearing masks and keeping distance.

　　Along with the decline in new cases, the number of people vaccinated has also decreased, leading to a slowdown in universal vaccination.

At the same time, the public’s relaxation of vigilance also contributed to the second wave of the epidemic in India.

　　In addition, the new coronavirus in India is no longer the virus at the beginning of the outbreak in 2020, and has mutated and mutated again.

　　India announced on March 25 that a "double mutation" variant of the new coronavirus has been detected in samples collected from different states.

Virologist Jameel explained that double mutations in key regions of the viral spike protein may make the virus more contagious.

　　The current second wave of the epidemic is also different from the first wave. It is not the poor who bear the brunt of the epidemic. Most of the people affected are the middle and upper middle income classes in the cities.

For example, in Mumbai, the financial center of India, 90% of the active cases in the past week were concentrated in high-rise buildings, and only 10% were from slums.

　　Many experts predict that this wave of epidemics will take at least three weeks to reach its peak.

Data map: On October 13, 2020, local time, in Mumbai, India, a worker wearing personal protective equipment disinfects seats before the Inox Leisure cinema reopens.

Oxygen supply crisis, medical shortage

The medical system is close to collapse

　　Shama, a journalist in New Delhi, said that hospitals across India are facing shortages of beds, ventilators, oxygen and medicine, and the entire medical system is close to collapse.

　　A spokesman for the New Delhi City Government said that all hospitals in New Delhi are already overwhelmed.

However, patients are still sent to the hospital every few minutes.

Many of the patients who were waiting for admission on the trolley had stopped breathing before they could get to the bed or the oxygen cylinder.

　　The central government of India has instructed the railway department to open a dedicated train line to transport oxygen to cities with severe epidemics. It also requires manufacturers to increase the production of oxygen and life-saving drugs.

　　The Indian military revealed on the 23rd that it will import 23 mobile oxygen manufacturing equipment from Germany next week.

In order to solve the medical resource crisis caused by the epidemic, Indian Prime Minister Modi presided over the meeting on the 24th and decided to exempt basic import duties and health taxes on oxygen and respirators and other related medical equipment for a period of 3 months.

Data map: On July 23, 2020, local time, India-controlled Kashmir Srinagar, a local Urdu-language newspaper "Roshni", in order to raise people’s awareness of the new crown pneumonia, provided readers with free masks and posted them On the front page.

Many countries impose entry restrictions on India

Vaccination has a long way to go

　　Fearing the invasion of the new mutant virus, countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Kuwait have already adopted measures to prohibit the entry of passengers from India. German Health Minister Spand also announced on the 24th that all passengers from India will be banned from entering the country. Only German citizens are not here. limit.

　　In terms of vaccination, as of late April, India, with a population of more than 1 billion, had only received about 130 million doses of vaccine, which was far from enough to form the requirements for herd immunity.

Moreover, early vaccination is limited to priority groups such as medical workers, front-line personnel, and over 45 years of age.

　　Although India has suspended exports of the new crown vaccine in late March, by mid-April, Indian media reported a shortage of vaccines in several states, hundreds of vaccination centers were closed, and the stock of vaccines in the vaccination sites that remained open was only enough for one or two days.

　　The Indian government stated on April 19 that from May 1st, all adults over the age of 18 will be vaccinated against the new crown.

However, the current concern is that the existing vaccine supply gap may further slow down the speed of universal vaccination.

　　The suspension of India's vaccine exports will also affect the global vaccine supply. The Global Access Mechanism for New Coronary Vaccines (COVAX) has previously notified all participants that the delivery of vaccines under the responsibility of the Serological Institute of India will be delayed.

　　Berkeley, CEO of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Vaccines, said on the 23rd that he has been working closely with India on vaccine supply, and COVAX has also provided 10 million doses of vaccine to India.

　　Berkeley said that India has a large population, and many other countries that rely on vaccines in India also have urgent needs. Faced with the challenge of maintaining a balance between supply and demand, the current is a very difficult period.