India loses 50 doctors in one day due to "Corona"
India lost 270 doctors in the second devastating wave of the "Covid-19" pandemic, as up to 50 of these deaths were recorded in just 24 hours on Sunday, according to new data released by the country's largest physicians association.
Speaking to The Independent, the President of the Indian Medical Association, Dr. Ja Jayalal, said that an alarmingly high percentage of doctors and medical personnel in the country had not yet been fully vaccinated.
Of the doctors who have died since January, about 97% have not been vaccinated, while only 3% have received vaccinations.
“For various reasons, only 66% of healthcare workers in India have been fully vaccinated,” Jayalal said.
"It is unfortunate that India is losing its soldiers who are fighting the war against the virus on the front lines, and the government must treat them as martyrs."
And because of the second wave, India became the epicenter of the global "Covid-19" crisis, which pushed the total number of infections in the country to more than 25 million, and the official number of deaths in it to more than 278 thousand - a number that experts consider less than the realistic number.
The health infrastructure has collapsed under the weight of the growing cases. Even major cities like Delhi and Mumbai are suffering from severe shortages of oxygen, medicines, basic medical supplies and, in fact, medical staff.
Dr. Gayalal indicated that even the recorded deaths of 270 doctors are likely not to represent the true picture, and that the actual number may be 20 to 30% higher.
He continued: "The data that we have is taken all over India, but the numbers may be 20 to 30% higher with regard to doctors who may have succumbed to the virus, but may not have been informed of them."
Up to 50 deaths of doctors infected with Corona were recorded on Sunday alone.
The list of deceased doctors includes famous cardiologist Kai Kai Agarwal, 62, who died from the virus on Monday.
He was a former President of the Indian Medical Association and was awarded the "Padma Shri", the fourth highest civilian honor in India.
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