India Falters Amid Growing Covid-19 Crisis

It is no surprise that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit India hard. It is currently facing the world’s fastest-growing number of Covid-19 cases, with 3,32,921 new confirmed infections on April 22, the highest single-day count in any country, and more than 2,263 deaths, the government’s response appears to have collapsed. As rightly said by a Lancet Commission report, the second wave is different from the first wave in September 2020 in one important way, that is, the rate of increase in new cases is significantly higher. The increase from 10,000 to 80,000 new cases per day from February to April has taken but 40 days. In September, this journey took 83 days. “India’s rapid slide into this unprecedented crisis may be a direct result of complacency and lack of preparation by the govt,” Ramanan Laxminarayan, the director of the middle for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in Washington, wrote within the New York Times on Tuesday.

Indian authorities wasted a months-long opportunity while the virus had been contained once they could have bolstered the country’s extremely weak health infrastructure. Instead, authorities provided mixed messaging. The government involved caution but allowed, and even backed, a Hindu religious event that has seen many people gather for an auspicious dip within the Ganges. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to act patiently and discipline, but he and opposition party leaders face criticism for addressing huge campaign rallies during state elections.

Currently, there are healthcare shortages everywhere, of testing capacity, medicines, ambulance services, hospital beds, oxygen support, even cremation or burial facilities. Phone calls, social media posts, and WhatsApp lines are flooded with requests from people desperately hoping that someone can help their critically ill friends or relatives. This week, Britain’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, and Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, called off plans to go to India.

International human rights law guarantees everyone the right to the highest attainable standard of health and obligates governments to ensure access to health care for those who need it. The Indian government urgently needs to stop passing the buck and act swiftly to address this worsening public health emergency.

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