"People are seeking hospital beds, life-saving drugs, oxygen and plasma for their infected and sick friends and relatives. Often, after a period of silence, the same people announce the deaths of their "patients". My Twitter timeline is India's Covid-19 war-room, as the state appears to have largely withered away.
Every essential to save a life is in short supply or available on the black market. Then there's the fear of the virus literally "at your door". Over the past week, three buildings in the gated complex where I live have become "containment zones", with entire skyscrapers sealed because of too many infections. The days and nights are filled with helplessness, anxiety and fear. The bad news is unrelenting.
The Supreme Court of India has called this a "national emergency". This is beyond an emergency. It is a "complete collapse of the goddamn system", as one of India's leading virologists says. In hotspots like Delhi and Mumbai, life, itself, is now a privilege.
...Why are cases so high in India?
Cases have surged during India's second wave, driven by a number of factors. Health protocols have been lax, with mask mandates sporadically enforced.
Millions of people attended a Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela, which culminated 10 days ago with a mass dip in the River Ganges. New strains of the virus have emerged, including a "double mutant" strain.
...Dr Saswati Sinha, a critical care specialist in the eastern city of Kolkata, said emergency rooms and wards were packed to capacity.
"We are getting direct calls from our patients, our acquaintances, our neighbours: they are pleading with us to be able to accommodate some of their next of kin. But unfortunately, our situation is such that, although we are trying our best, we still have a huge number of patients whom we are not able to accommodate," she told the BBC.
"In 20 years of working in intensive care, I have never seen anything of this kind, ever."
www.bbc.com
Every essential to save a life is in short supply or available on the black market. Then there's the fear of the virus literally "at your door". Over the past week, three buildings in the gated complex where I live have become "containment zones", with entire skyscrapers sealed because of too many infections. The days and nights are filled with helplessness, anxiety and fear. The bad news is unrelenting.
The Supreme Court of India has called this a "national emergency". This is beyond an emergency. It is a "complete collapse of the goddamn system", as one of India's leading virologists says. In hotspots like Delhi and Mumbai, life, itself, is now a privilege.
...Why are cases so high in India?
Cases have surged during India's second wave, driven by a number of factors. Health protocols have been lax, with mask mandates sporadically enforced.
Millions of people attended a Hindu festival, the Kumbh Mela, which culminated 10 days ago with a mass dip in the River Ganges. New strains of the virus have emerged, including a "double mutant" strain.
...Dr Saswati Sinha, a critical care specialist in the eastern city of Kolkata, said emergency rooms and wards were packed to capacity.
"We are getting direct calls from our patients, our acquaintances, our neighbours: they are pleading with us to be able to accommodate some of their next of kin. But unfortunately, our situation is such that, although we are trying our best, we still have a huge number of patients whom we are not able to accommodate," she told the BBC.
"In 20 years of working in intensive care, I have never seen anything of this kind, ever."
India Covid crisis: Hospitals buckle under record surge
Families of Covid patients are pleading for hospital care as emergency rooms and wards overflow.
www.bbc.com
