India warned to brace for new waves

NEW DELHI: India, gripped by one of the most deadly coronavirus surges seen by any country, will have to be ready for new waves and badly needs more oxygen from other countries, officials said Wednesday.

Facing critical shortages of hospital beds and oxygen, the warnings came as India reported 3,780 new pandemic deaths, a new daily high, and 382,000 new cases. Experts say the peak may not be reached for weeks.

According to the International Red Cross, India is bearing the brunt of a coronavirus crisis badly hitting all of South Asia.

K. Vijay Raghavan, the Indian government’s principal scientific advisor, said the country of 1.3 billion had to be ready for more trouble even after beating down this wave which has taken India’s caseload above 20 million infections. “Phase 3 is inevitable given the high levels of circulating virus. But it is not clear on what timescale this phase 3 will occur. We should prepare for new waves,” Raghavan told a news conference.

With the government facing criticism as patients die in streets outside hospitals because of the bed shortages, consignments of oxygen and equipment have been arriving from the United States, France, Britain, Russia and other countries in recent days.

And India will need more oxygen from other countries to fight the surge until numbers stabilise, another government official said.

“We did not and do not have enough oxygen,” the top government official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If we could get more oxygen more lives would be saved.”

Hospitals across the country were still suffering Wednesday while courts have stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government over its response.

Hospitals in Kolkata, Bangalore and other major cities also reported serious shortages. India’s courts have meanwhile become increasingly vocal critics of the Modi government’s handling of the crisis.

Delhi’s government says it needs 700 tonnes of oxygen a day for its overwhelmed hospitals but the Supreme Court was told Wednesday that it is only getting 585 tonnes.

Fighting a threat to issue contempt proceedings over its refusal to send more oxygen, central government lawyers said the city needs only 415 tonnes.

The court gave the government until Thursday morning to provide a plan to send extra supplies.