New Delhi (AFP)

India announced Monday that it has crossed the threshold of 300,000 deaths from the coronavirus, becoming the third country in the world to reach this figure, behind the United States and Brazil, as the pandemic continues to rage in this vast country of 1.3 billion inhabitants.

According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of deaths stands at 303,720, including 50,000 in just under two weeks, and the cumulative number of contaminations has exceeded 26.7 million.

In recent weeks, India has regularly recorded a daily record number of contaminations and deaths.

In the past 24 hours, India has recorded 4,454 deaths from the Covid-19 virus, the second highest daily toll since the record of 4,529 deaths reached on Wednesday.

This continuous rise in the number of deaths comes as in most major cities, especially in the capital New Delhi and the financial capital Bombay, containment measures have been put in place to curb contamination.

"The deaths will always be out of step with the number of cases .... People who have tested positive today will go to the hospital, and then a small number of them will die, but it will be more. late, "Gautam Menon, professor of biology at Ashoka University, told AFP on Monday.

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Many experts believe that the real figures are undoubtedly largely underestimated, especially as the epidemic has spread beyond the big cities, in rural areas where hospitals are scarce and where registers are poor. required.

- A recent increase in contamination?

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Across the vast nation, the devastating wave of Covid-19 has engulfed hospitals, resulting in a shortage of oxygen and essential medicines.

Crematoriums and cemeteries were also overwhelmed.

Corpses of suspected coronavirus victims have been recovered floating in the waters of the Ganges or buried in shallow graves.

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"We are seeing bodies along the Ganges that do not appear to have been listed as Covid-related deaths but very likely are," Menon said.

"While everyone agrees that the toll is underestimated, the question is how big is this underestimation and whether this number has always been significant, or has it been? has only increased ... over the past three weeks to a month, "he points out.

Religious holidays and electoral rallies are believed to be largely at the origin of this epidemic outbreak, according to experts.

They believe that only a massive campaign to immunize the population is the long-term solution.

India has administered just over 196 million vaccines since mid-January, but experts say vaccination needs to be stepped up.

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The country, home to the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has suspended vaccine exports in order to meet domestic demand.

© 2021 AFP