The stunning wave of new COVID infections – a million in only three days – has India reeling. Hospital beds, medical personnel, ambulances, crematoria, and the all-important supply of medical oxygen have all become overwhelmed. “The virus is swallowing our city’s people like a monster,” said Mamtesh Sharma, an official at the Bhopan city crematorium, in Maharashtra state, according to one press account. “We are just burning bodies as they arrive,” Sharma told AP. “It is as if we are in the middle of a war.”
The lack of medical oxygen has been particularly devastating. The Indian Express today ran an article titled: “The Oxygen Chain: Why India Is Falling Short of the Life-Saving Gas.” It reported that “officially, India’s daily oxygen production capacity is 7,127 MT and its medical oxygen requirement has increased by 76% in 10 days — from 3,842 MT on April 12 to 6,785 MT on April 22. On paper, that leaves the country with a few hundred metric tons still to spare, but state after state has been complaining of acute shortage.” https://indianexpress.com/article/india/the-covid-crisis-falling-sho2rt-india-covid-oxygen-supply-7287681/
