JOIN USBiggest spike globally: India sees over 3.1L fresh Covid cases, 2,104 deaths
India reported on Thursday 3,14,835 new cases of Covid-19 over the previous 24 hours, the highest daily increase recorded anywhere, as its second wave and similar surges elsewhere in the world raised new fears about the virus.
Hospitals across northern and western states including New Delhi, have issued notices to say they have only a few hours of medical oxygen required to keep Covid-19 patients alive.
More than two-thirds of hospitals had no vacant beds, according to the Delhi government's online database and doctors advised patients to stay at home.
"Covid-19 has become a public health crisis in India leading to a collapse of the healthcare system," said Krutika Kuppalli, assistant professor at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of South Carolina in the United States, on Twitter.
The previous record one-day rise in cases was held by the United States, which had 297,430 new cases on one day in January, though its tally has since fallen sharply.
India's total cases are now at 1.5 crore, while deaths rose by 2,104 to reach a total of 1,84,657, according to the latest health ministry data.
Television showed images of people with empty oxygen cylinders crowding refilling facilities in Uttar Pradesh as they scrambled to save relatives in hospitals.
"We never thought a second wave would hit us so hard," wrote Kiran Mazumdar Shaw in the Economic Times. Mazumdar Shaw is executive chairman of Biocon & Biocon Biologics, an Indian healthcare firm.
"Complacency led to unanticipated shortages of medicines, medical supplies and hospital beds."
India has launched a vaccination drive but only a tiny fraction of the population has received the shots.
Authorities announced that vaccines would be available to anyone over the age of 18 from May 1 but India won't have enough shots for the 600 million people who will become eligible, experts say.
Similar surges of infections elsewhere, in South America in particular, are overwhelming health services there.
Health experts said India had let its guard down when the virus seemed to be under control during the winter and when new daily cases were about 10,000, The country lifted restrictions and allowed big gatherings.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have come in for criticism for holding packed political rallies for state elections and allowing the Maha Kumbh Mela to be held where lakhs of people gathered.
On Thursday, despite the biggest public health emergency the country has faced in a generation, people were voting in West Bengal for a new state Assembly in an election that Modi has been campaigning in.
"It's a festival of democracy and everyone is participating. You can see the queues," said Krishna Kalyan, a BJP candidate.