Covid-19 chokes India | Bodies, grief pile on as nation stares at biggest crisis

India reported over two lakh fresh Covid-19 cases for the fifth day in a row on Monday. With the hospitals full of patients -- some even sharing beds -- India's coronavirus situation is extremely grim. As states complain of shortage of vaccines, oxygen cylinders and life-saving drug Remdesivir, the government says it is doing all it can. Families of Covid patients rushed to social media asking for help to get ICU beds and medication as the healthcare infrastructure of the nation nears the brink of collapse. Here's a look at one of India's worst crises, in pictures.

India is currently recording more new cases of coronavirus than any other country, and this week it is expected to rise above the high tide of the epidemic seen in the United States, when daily new cases peaked at nearly 3,00,000 in early January. Credit: Reuters Photo

Deaths in India have risen to nearly 1,79,000 with Monday recording the highest single-day fatalities. Credit: PTI File Photo

Hospitals with no beds, ambulances lined up outside Covid centers and relatives mourning those who couldn't receive timely treatment were common sights the country has witnessed in the past few days. Credit: Reuters Photo

The surge has overwhelmed the healthcare infrastructure in many parts of India, and authorities are scrambling to free up hospital beds and secure additional supplies of oxygen and treatment drugs. Credit: AFP Photo

Families watched as their loved ones gasped for life, choked by the virus and with hospitals unable to take them. Credit: Reuters Photo

Fewer than 100 critical care beds were available in Delhi, Kejriwal had said on Sunday. Credit: PTI File Photo

Shortage of oxygen cylinders, remdesivir and beds meant that many patients succumbed to the disease before they could get any treatment. Credit: Reuters Photo

As coronavirus infections overwhelm the country, the government is struggling to meet demand for vaccine doses. Credit: Reuters Photo

Even as the political war on the Covid crisis management raged on, hospitals and medicos rushed to tend to patients. Credit: PTI File Photo

The double mutation variant of the coronavirus may be a key driving force behind the ballooning Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra. Credit: PTI Photo

Ten states account for 85.11 per cent of the new deaths, the ministry said. Maharashtra saw the maximum casualties (503) and Chhattisgarh follows with 170 daily deaths. Credit: PTI Photo

Delhi will impose a week-long lockdown from Monday night after reporting over 25,000 cases on Sunday. Credit: PTI Photo

In hospitals, doctors started warning of a rise in cases, including a new phenomenon -- younger patients -- for a disease usually viewed as riskier for older adults.Credit: PTI Photo