Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, called a meeting with his cabinet ministers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday to address the coronavirus epidemic in the capital, which has resulted in thousands of deaths in recent weeks.
According to reports, the meeting will be attended by the Deputy Chief Minister, Health Minister, Health Secretary, and District Magistrates from all districts.
With its hospitals grappling for beds and medical oxygen, Delhi has become one of the worst-affected areas as India recorded an additional 15 lakh new infections and recorded daily deaths in the second wave of the pandemic the last week.
On Friday, the country recorded another record daily increase in coronavirus cases, 4,14,188. COVID-19-related deaths increased by 3,915 to 2,34,083.
According to medical researchers, the true magnitude of COVID-19 in India is five to ten times higher than the official figures.
With hospitals running out of beds and medical oxygen, India’s healthcare system is collapsing under the weight of patients. Morgues and crematoriums are overwhelmed by the number of deceased and improvised burial pyres flame in parks and parking lots.
It has recorded 2.1 crore cases and 2,34,083 deaths since the outbreak began. There is reportedly 36 lakh pending cases.
Since religious festivals and political protests attracted tens of thousands of people in recent weeks and became “mega spreader” gatherings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been widely chastised for not intervening earlier to quell the second surge.
His government has also been chastised for easing social controls too fast after the first wave, as well as failures in the country’s vaccine policy, which medical experts claim is India’s best chance of containing the second COVID-19 wave.
Though India is the world’s largest vaccine producer, it is failing to manufacture and deliver enough doses to halt the COVID-19 outbreak.
PM Modi has emphasized the importance of maintaining vaccination rates in Indian states. Despite the fact that the country has distributed at least 15.7 crore vaccine doses, the rate of immunization has dropped dramatically in recent days.
