Recently, In March Narendra Modi declared that India was in the endgame of the deadly virus Covid-19 and everyone threw away their masks. In April, Modi was proved wrong and an outbreak struck India and hit hard. Suddenly the once empty hospitals were overfilled. With a heart wrenching number of three thousand people dying per day and 120 per hour. There are not enough healthcare workers, ventilators, beds, gloves, or even masks to support the outbreak.

      Certain areas of India were hit harder such as New Delhi. New Delhi officials have reported 26,000 new cases of Covid-19 and 306 deaths just in the last 24 hours. The labs can’t keep up with covid tests and paperwork but that is the very least of their problems. A mix of young and old population have gotten covid. People are using their cars as beds and are ventilating from there. People are hoping to just make it through the night.

    The cremator in India has started to melt because it has been kept on 24/7 and hasn’t had any time to cool off. Now healthcare workers are using small fires in rows to burn the bodies. A resident in New Delhi explained that the smell of burning bodies is always in the air.

    Scientists and Covid-19 experts blame Mr.Modi for the outbreak. Scientists warned Modi that India had not yet reached “herd immunity”. Herd immunity is resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population that is based on pre-existing immunity of a high proportion of individuals as a result of previous infection or vaccination. Modi continued to tell people to get back to their normal lives and did not listen. Mr.Modi is a powerful Prime minister and many believed him. Asim Ali a scholar and researcher said “The bulk of the blame lies in Modi’s governance style, where top ministers are chosen for loyalty rather than expertise, where secrecy and image management is privileged over transparency,”

   India is getting vaccines out quickly but it is not helping the outbreak. The government only spends 3.5% of government money on healthcare. Locals in India explain that if you want healthcare it comes out of your own pocket. Only the wealthier can afford to take care of themselves and pay for the care. President Joe Biden recently stated that “India was there for us, and we will be there for them”. Meaning that the U.S will be sending supplies to India’s hospitals to try and help. Hopefully, this informed you on the international issue going on in India. Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, and Stay Happy Riverhawks!!